Borussia Dortmund 2-2 (5-4 on agg.) Sevilla
Erling Haaland’s brace was enough to help Borussia Dortmund progress to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Sevilla mounted a late rally with two goals of their own, but they were left to rue on their missed opportunities in the end since BVB won the first leg via a single goal.
Prior to this game, the Edin Terzic-coached squad needed a pick-me-up since they were defeated in the most recent Der Klassiker versus defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The same can be said for Sevilla as the Julen Lopetegui-mentored club recently suffered back-to-back league defeats against Elche and Barcelona.
But both clubs didn’t mind their recent forms as they were firing all over the place just like in the first game – with Erling Haaland and Youssef En-Nesyri stealing the show with their package of Champions League 2021 highlights.
Overall, this Round of 16 tiff between Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla did not disappoint at all. And here at SBOTOP, let us relive their fiery matchup one more time.
Highlights of the game
With their backs against the wall, Sevilla attacked from the start and had the Yellow Wall play defencive for much of the first half.
In just the third minute, Lucas Ocampos tested Marwin Hitz with a looping strike but the BVB goalkeeper blocked the shot away.
Sevilla created another attacking opportunity in the 17th minute when Lucas Ocampos teed up Suso via a through-ball inside the box, but his shot went far right.
BVB defenders were simply pinned to the back with clearance after clearance, but the home side would eventually get their first score during the 35th minute.
Thomas Delaney took the ball away from Jules Kounde and Nico Schulz passed it to Mahmoud Dahoud, who linked up with Marco Reus. The BVB skipper kept his cool when Yassine Bounou was rushing towards him and he swiftly passed the ball to a cutting Erling Haaland for his first goal of the evening.
Dortmund’s confidence grew while Sevilla’s frustrations mounted as the game went on. And minutes after the halftime break, the Yellow Wall continued to press forward.
Jules Kounde was booked for a yellow card when he nudged down Erling Haaland during the 51st minute. However, Yassine Bounou would save Haaland’s penalty and rebound attempts.
Unfortunately for Yassine Bounou, the VAR would intervene and ordered a retake since he was off his line and Haaland made no mistake this time for his second goal of the night.
Now down by two goals, Sevilla showed resilience late in this game.
Emre Can was booked for a yellow card during the 67th minute when he pulled down a Sevilla player, and Youssef En-Nesyri hammered home the penalty kick.
Sevilla still needed two more goals to force extra time and although En-Nesyri scored off of a beautiful header during added time, it was just too late for them.
Key statistics
The Erling Haaland show has been a gift that keeps on giving as he continues to climb up the scoring charts.
The BVB stalwart became the fastest player to reach 20 goals in the Champions League, doing so in just 14 appearances. He’s also overtaken current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in terms of being the highest-scoring Norwegian international in the competition.
Haaland also became the youngest player to score in six straight Champions League fixtures, and he also managed to score at least two goals in four consecutive appearances.
His scoring exploits has been immense for Borussia Dortmund as the German side has now reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since the 2016/17 season.
Furthermore, Borussia Dortmund are undefeated in their last eight home games in the tournament (W5, D3).
On the other hand, Youssef En-Nesyri also achieved a milestone for himself. The 23-year-old forward became the highest-scoring Moroccan international in a single Champions League campaign with six goals total, eclipsing Marouane Chamakh.
What’s next?
BVB manager Edin Terzic will have to manage his players’ workload since they’ll have two Bundesliga games in just a span of seven days.
Next up will be against Hertha BSC at home on Saturday night and it will be followed by a road game against FC Koln a week later.
Borussia Dortmund will await the winner between Atalanta and Real Madrid in their Champions League Round of 16 tie. So far, the Champions League 2021 odds favour Los Blancos because they have a one-goal lead and their deciding game will be on March 17.
As for Sevilla, they will be eager to snap their losing streak when they host Real Betis on Sunday night and then they’ll have their rematch against Elche next Friday.
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