Match Ratings: BVB Book Place in Champions League Semi-Finals After Thriller Against Atlético Madrid

Borussia Dortmund have, at times, been pretty difficult to watch this season. Not only have the results been below expectations, but the performances have been mediocre, and the way BVB have approached games has only made their games more of an endurance event for fans. That was not the case last night, as BVB came out from the first whistle looking to make up for their poor performance in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid and ultimately coming away as 4-2 winners on the night, giving them a 5-4 victory across the whole tie.

Atleti also made for an excellent sparring partner, threatening BVB in transition and, after half-time adjustments, even momentarily swinging the tie back in their favour. However, BVB were a match for their Spanish opponents and, as a result, came out on top on the night. It was an excellent football game, and Borussia Dortmund performed well. The victory secures their place in the Champions League semi-finals, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the month.

Here are our ratings from Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 win over Atlético Madrid:

Starting XI

Gregor Kobel

Paul: 6

Joey: 6

Patrick: 6

He faced one shot in the first half and had to make a very easy save. He made the save for Atletico’s second goal, but Correa put in the rebound (or second rebound?). Those were the only two saves he was forced to make.

Julian Ryerson

Paul: 6

Joey: 6

Julian Ryerson did not have a poor game by any means, but compared to his teammates, he struggled a bit in this match. Antoine Griezmann, Rodrigo De Paul, and Cesar Azpilicueta made his life difficult with their pace and keen passing. Still, I have to respect the effort Ryerson constantly exerts.

Patrick: 6

I thought Ryerson was Dortmund’s worst player on the field, and it was no surprise that Simeone brought Correa on to target him in the second half.

Mats Hummels

Paul: 7

The own goal was not great, but otherwise, I thought Hummels was excellent. Brilliant assist for the opening Dortmund goal.

Joey: 7

Patrick: 7

It was a really poor own goal that opened the door to the Atleti comeback in the second half. Still - when Hummels plays well, he is one of the best center-backs in the world. He was terrific both in and out of possession for large stretches of this match and his assist was one of the best this season. Still, that goal could have decided the game against a better team.

Nico Schlotterbeck

Paul: 7

Joey: 7

Schlotti had an excellent game but struggled early in the second half.

Patrick: 7

Schlotterbeck was terrific this game outside of a 20-minute window. Unfortunately, that 20-minute window saw Atletico score twice. Schlotterbeck did a fantastic job dueling Morata, which was probably why the Spaniard was yoinked off the field at halftime.

Ian Maatsen

Paul: 7

Joey: 8

Patrick: 7

Maatsen scored his first Champions League goal and was very involved in this tie, for better and worse. The Dutchman has been well worth his weight in gold since joining and hopefully, this UCL run won’t be his last in Dortmund colors!

Marcel Sabitzer

Paul: 9

It could have been a perfect score, but that early miss is hard to ignore.

Joey: 9

Marcel Sabitzer masterclass. The Austrian is in peak form at the moment.

Patrick: 10

A goal and two assists, though the assist to Maatsen left the Dutchman with plenty of work to do. Paul is right. The miss in the opening minutes would have been a major talking point had Dortmund been knocked out, but I thought Sabitzer vindicated himself throughout the match. To his credit, Edin Terzic instructed Sabitzer to play much further up the field and run into space over the shoulder of Atletico’s center-backs (usually Axel Witsel), and Sabitzer executed this flawlessly. His assists came from picking up the box on the left edge of Atletico’s 18-yard box, while his goal came from a well-taken shot through traffic. It’s everything you want from your midfielder and a 10 out of 10 performance for me!

Emre Can

Paul: 6

Joey: 7

Emre Can held the midfield adequately in his best position and was pretty strong on the ball throughout the match.

Patrick: 8

I have high praise for all of Dortmund’s midfield in this match. Can operated as the sole pivot of this match and was very defensively sound. He won six of his nine duels, was never disposed with the ball, and had no vital mistakes. Can has silently come into form these past few weeks. We are seeing the fruits of his labor!

Julian Brandt

Paul: 8

It would be naïve to suggest that this much-improved performance was all about Brandt replacing Nmecha, but the difference Brandt made was unmistakable. He made BVB’s offense tick, and he also fought hard out of possession too.

Joey: 9

Julian Brandt was phenomenal. Any criticism over his post-illness form should be silenced because Brandt has rediscovered his form from earlier this season. He controlled the attack, dictating play and offering much-needed creativity.

Patrick: 9

Jadon Sancho

Paul: 7

I thought Sancho was one of Dortmund’s better players in the first half. He linked up well with Maatsen and gave the Atleti defence a lot of problems on that left flank. He tailed off quite a bit in the second half, but I was pleased with the performance overall.

Joey: 7

Patrick: 7

Sancho’s gravity draws defenders to him. That said, the Sancho we all reminisce about could beat his defenders. He only did that twice despite eight attempts!

Karim Adeyemi

Paul: 6

Joey: 7

Karim did fairly well utilizing his speed in the first half, but he ran out of juice early in the second.

Patrick: 7

Adeyemi looked dangerous for portions of the first half but relied on beating his defender in a footrace. For example - he only attempted three dribbles throughout this whole match. He should be praised for his effort off the ball throughout the first half.

Niklas Füllkrug

Paul: 8

He looked much better than he had done in recent weeks, even before the goal, and then he came up with an incredible headed goal to level things before providing the assist for Sabitzer’s winning goal. Much better from Füllkrug.

Joey: 8

Patrick: 8

Substitutes

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens

Paul: 7

Joey: 8

JBG came on when the momentum had shifted in Atleti’s favor. Immediately, his speed and footwork began drawing Atleti players out of position. This contributed to the space Sabitzer and Füllkrug found for their goals. I think JBG was an unsung hero.

Patrick: 8

Salih Özcan

N/A

Marco Reus

N/A

Overall

Paul: 8

Borussia Dortmund have needed some luck at every stage of this remarkable Champions League run, and this game was no different. This slugfest could easily have gone either way, but BVB buried their chances and came out on top. I don’t think that should be taken as a negative, though.

Unlike the first leg, Dortmund were dominant for large stretches of the game, showing plenty of fight when things didn’t go their way. Atleti are a good team, and Simeone is an incredible coach. They would have moments, and BVB needed not to wilt under pressure when those moments came.

If they play like this against Paris Saint-Germain, they will probably lose, but they will have a genuine chance of causing an upset. Most of all, if they play like this, BVB will be able to hold their head high, win or lose.

Joey: 9

I’m feeling optimistic. This is Dortmund, so we can likely expect bipolar performances, yet I do see much to build on here. Terzic learned from his mistakes in the first leg, and those changes were enough to secure the victory at home.

Most impressively, Dortmund came back from losing positions twice in this match, and I admire that resolve. That is why I have given them a 9. This was a mature performance, not without error. Yet BVB were able to shrug off those errors and regain control of this game. Certain squad players like Brandt and Sabitzer look to be among the finest in Europe right now, and our defense can be rock-solid at times.

PSG are always a formidable opponent, but they are not invulnerable. We might not be the favorites, but Dortmund can beat the Parisians. I tend to think PSG are overrated. We might not have defeated them this season, but we did win Group F, finishing above PSG. Few thought Dortmund could reach the semifinals. Win or lose, we’re all damn happy to be represented in Europe’s Best Four.

Patrick: 8

Paul and Joey did a great job summarising this performance, so I wanted to take a moment and do something I have not done much this season: praise Edin Terzic.

The 41-year-old won the tactical battle in this game and recorded his 70th win for the club. While the inclusion of Brandt over Nmecha in this game was the obvious choice after the away leg, how Brandt and Sabitzer played alongside each other was fascinating; Brandt spent a lot of this match further back than usual, while Sabitzer, who was poorly deployed in a double pivot in the first match, was pushed much higher. Usually, we are accustomed to Brandt (Or Reus) being the point man for Dortmund’s midfield, but this match saw Brandt stay back and float out wide while Sabitzer played behind, or even in line with, Füllkrug. We also saw Maatsen tuck into the base of midfield at times to create a midfield diamond. Here is how Dortmund’s midfield was set up for the second, third, and fourth goals:

As you can see, Brandt drifts wide and often invites pressure while Sabitzer plays high up the field. Each of these goals involved Sabitzer assisting or scoring from the advanced possession, while the second photo shows how Maatsen would creep into the base of the diamond and allow Can to push higher.

I thought Terzic made all the correct changes for a midfield bypassed in the first leg!

Your Thoughts?

Who gets the most credit for Borussia Dortmund coming from a goal down to progress to the Champions League semi-final?