Bvb Atletico Madrid Players

Atlético Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Sebastien Haller Gives German Side Hope in Champions League

Game Summary

Atlético Madrid holds off a late Borussia Dortmund fightback to hold the advantage after the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

Alvaro Morata gave Atlético Madrid an early lead at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday, but Karim Adeyemi equalized for Borussia Dortmund before half-time. Substitute Sebastien Haller put the German side ahead in the second half, but Antoine Griezmann leveled the scores with a late penalty.

The result gives Atlético Madrid a slight advantage going into the second leg at Signal Iduna Park on March 15.

Kobel's Poor Decisions Cost Dortmund

One of the key moments of the game came in the 51st minute when Gregor Kobel made a poor decision in possession. The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper played the ball out to Nico Schlotterbeck, who was under pressure from Morata. Schlotterbeck lost the ball, and Morata squared it for Griezmann to score.

Kobel also made a couple of other bad lapses in the game, and it is fair to say that his poor decisions cost Dortmund the chance to take a more significant advantage back to Germany.

Haller Gives Dortmund Hope

Despite Kobel's errors, Borussia Dortmund can still take heart from Haller's performance. The Ivorian striker has had a difficult time since joining Dortmund from Ajax last summer, but he showed his class with a fine goal on Wednesday.

Haller's goal gives Dortmund hope that they can overturn the deficit in the second leg. The German side has a good record at home in Europe, and they will be confident of getting the result they need to reach the semi-finals.

Atletico Madrid Will Be Happy With The Result

Despite conceding a late goal, Atlético Madrid will be happy with the result. The Spanish side has a good record at home in Europe, and they will be confident of finishing the job in the second leg.

Atletico Madrid will also be buoyed by the performance of Griezmann. The French forward has been in fine form since returning to the club last summer, and he will be key to their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.