Atletico might wish they had held on to their two-goal advantage, and despite not finding an equaliser, Dortmund captain Emre Can said his team were content with the result
Atletico’s Samuel Lino celebrates scoring against Dortmund on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images
Atletico Madrid earned a 2-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, surviving a late onslaught from the visitors.
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Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino’s first-half goals gave Diego Simeone’s side a commanding lead but Sebastien Haller pulled one back to give the German side a foothold in the tie ahead of next week’s return in Dortmund.
Edin Terzic’s side, fifth in the Bundesliga, improved greatly after a slow start and hit the woodwork twice in the final stages of a match which saw security measures reinforced after the Islamic State (IS) group made threats against stadiums used for last-eight ties.
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Atletico Madrid had flown out of the traps, keen to grasp a golden opportunity to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2017. “We took a little first step, we wanted to win at home,” De Paul told Movistar.
“Here we are strong, the fans give us a boost, these nights are incredible—you never know if they will be repeated, the truth is I am very happy. When you win, I always think it’s positive because if not, you never enjoy anything.”
Atletico might wish they had held on to their two-goal advantage, and despite not finding an equaliser, Dortmund captain Emre Can said his team were content with the result.
“On such a night, one can also go under...there were phases where they completely overpowered us in the duels,” Can told DAZN.
“So, we’ll take the 2-1 and everything is open for next week.” Dortmund could not cope with the Rojiblancos’ high press in the opening stages and De Paul fired the hosts ahead in the fifth minute after Ian Maatsen gave the ball away.
Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel passed the ball to the on-loan Chelsea defender, who panicked under pressure and played a slack pass which De Paul gleefully intercepted.
The Argentina international finished calmly to amp up the already loud Metropolitano stadium crowd.
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