PSV leaves a bad Dortmund alive
It was a bad night for Dortmund, resolved, at least, without serious setbacks. A terrible game that, paradoxically, brings them closer to the quarterfinals. Unforeseen events occurred during the warm-up, when Kobel, their starting goalkeeper, suffered a muscle injury.. Under sticks, therefore, Meyer would appear, a 32-year-old veteran whose previous experience in a Champions League tie was limited to the second leg of last year's round of 16 against Chelsea.. The restlessness on the bench, therefore, only found peace when their goalkeeper snatched the first ball from De Jong's head.. [Narrative and statistics (1-1)]
Dortmund wanted to impose their stripes in the tournament, even if it was simply because of the glory times of Hummels or Reus, because of the enormous potential of Sancho or because of the dizzying football that they exhibited against PSG on the last day of the league.. However, it soon became clear that PSV would not be easily scared.. Lozano, galloping on the left, stepped into the area for the first time and Hummels intervened with solvency.. Another situation was much clearer, when after the quarter of an hour, De Jong saw the arrival of Tillman from the second line. Fortunately for the yellow fans, the American's shot missed inches from the post.
Tillman, 21, had entered Bosz's eleven somewhat by surprise, complementing the fast Veerman and Saibari. But something was flying around in his head that didn't let him think clearly.. Terzic's Dortmund had it much clearer. Even in the exchange of blows, his destructive potential surpassed that of his rival.. In a side kick, the high pressure would cause the robbery, the appearance of Sabitzer in the front and the lucky shot by Malen, tripped by a defender. The happy law of the former had to be fulfilled once again.. Malen, a PSV footballer between 2018 and 2021, even seemed to beg forgiveness from the stands.
Irritating coldness
The PSV Stadion could not believe the misfortune because its team, the outstanding leader of the Eredivisie, did everything to deserve another fate. Veerman, in a direct free kick, put the 1-1 on the head of Tillman, in a slight advanced position. Bakayoko had it even easier at the far post, thanks to Saibari's power and precision.. Little more could be demanded from Sevilla's executioner, who redoubled his dominance after the break.
There was no way for Dortmund to pick up the thread, with skill or tactics. As a stranger to PSV's streak, undefeated in their last nine European home games. The irritating German coldness was embodied in Schlotterbeck, in charge of monitoring De Jong, the best header on the continent, according to statistics. The torrential PSV already added Dest as a complement to Lozano on the left. And Dortmund, as if nothing had happened. So Hummels' penalty on Tillman, favored by poor control, was only going to catch the veteran center back by surprise. With his feint, as unacademic as it was effective, De Jong converted from 11 meters.
Stung by the tie, Terzic took Sancho and Reus out of circulation, unpublished all night. Dortmund could do little harm with little, such as in a couple of poorly defended strategic actions in Benítez's area. The problem is that this team, after eight draws in 22 Bundesliga games, felt more than satisfied with the draw.