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meIn a breath of authentic football, the atmosphere blew through the empty Westfalenstadion in Dortmund on Tuesday night, so strong, intense and emotional during the 2-2 draw between BVB and FC Sevilla. With two goals from Erling Haaland, coach Edin Terzic’s team reached the Champions League quarter-finals in a wild game. The Dortmund team had faced a difficult challenge. And the only thing missing for a great night of the European Cup were the full stands.
But even so, a storm of emotions broke out at BVB in the first half hour. The guests were whipped forward with permanent male roars from the stands, where the Seville delegation sat, from the Spanish bench and even from the press box. For a few minutes, the Dortmunders allowed themselves to be constricted in their own half, they seemed frankly taken by surprise. Time and time again, the corners flew into the Dortmund penalty area, the pressure was enormous.
It was an impressive performance, but BVB was able to avoid the very clear chances at first. Very early, Lucas Ocampos closed dangerously after a creepy bad pass from Emre Can, BVB goalkeeper Marvin Hitz kept the ball (3rd). And at 18 minutes, Suso hit a 16-meter shot just off the post.
“You need two good performances,” coach Edin Terzic said before the game to counter a dangerous sense of security. Managing a potential client is not one of the strengths of this team. A 3-2 win sounds like a great starting position in a knockout game in Europe. But in these times of pandemic we have to rethink. The home advantage has basically lost its importance and, atmospherically, this first half hour felt like an away game.
BVB was crushed as in many phases to 2: 4 in Munich. The attempt to fight for the own ball possession phases failed. Terzic scratched his head, gave orders, consulted with his assistants, but could not find a real solution at first.
After all, the Dortmunders took up the fight on an emotional level, they went into duels and shots. Captain Marco Reus shone more and more as a determined defensive leader. And then Haaland stabbed. Nico Schulz captured the ball from the background in the Andalusian half, passed a deep pass to Reus, who returned the ball to the striker, who until now was barely seen. The Norwegian scored 1-0 (35th) from five meters.
Haaland was fit after his heel injury last weekend, but Jadon Sancho will be out even longer. But perhaps defensive wingers Reus and Thorgan Hazard were the best suited players for the flanks of the night anyway. For Sevilla this goal was a low blow, the emotional fireworks of the initial phase had burned for the moment. Sevilla were 1-0 down and now needed at least three goals to reach the quarter-finals, which then became even less likely after a sloping start to the second half.
Video evidence of a special kind
Once again the referees put on a memorable show. Haaland scored first to make it 2-0, but had knocked down Fernando in a previous match. The referees not only annulled the goal, they also reviewed another scene where Haaland was inside the penalty area. BVB received a penalty that Haaland missed. However, he received a second attempt because the VAR had concluded that goalkeeper Bono was standing in front of the line when he fired. Now Haaland scored his 20th goal in his fourteenth game in this competition (54th).
But Sevilla FC did not give up, they ran and received a penalty from Emre Can, which Youssef En-Nesyri converted with determination (68th). The guests missed two goals to reach extra time. En-Nesyri managed to make it 2-2 in the sixth minute of injury time, but that was not enough. BVB celebrated a great victory.
The foundations for a very special spring are laid at the latest with this entry into the quarter-finals at Borussia Dortmund. In the Bundesliga, the game at Bayern was lost for the last time, but the competition for the Champions League places looks vulnerable. There is a real chance of a DFB-Pokal title, and in the Champions League the club returns to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2017.
