Champions League: Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid could not maintain the advantage in Germany and was eliminated

Julian Brandt (at 34 minutes), Ian Maatsen (39′), Niclas Füllkrug (71′) and Marcel Sabitzer (74′) they scored for the Germans, while a goal against the German Matts Hummels (49) and another from the Argentine Angel Correa (64) were sterile for the people of Madrid.

The players of the Borussia Dortmundpushed by a boisterous atmosphere in their stadium, put the mattress makers from the start thanks to intense pressure and offensive football. When barely three minutes had passed, the Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer he dallied and failed to finish a clear shot inside the area, which he blocked César Azpilicuetathe main novelty in the team led by Diego Simeone.

Diego Simeone came out to defend the advantage in Dortmund

The Argentine coach opted for a defensive approach to capitalize on the advantage from the first leg and take advantage of the spaces left by the Germans on the counterattack. That bet almost paid off, but Alvaro Morata He narrowly missed a one-on-one against the Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

The first part was a monologue Borussia Dortmundwhich was rewarded with the goal of Julian Brandt, who opened the scoring with a powerful cross shot at 35′. The talented German playmaker, 30 years old, had already been key in the first leg, in Madrid, for the Germans to close the gap.

Less than five minutes after the first goal, the Dutch full-back Ian Maatsen He scored the second with an attack from the left. The west German club looked like a storm thanks to the support of the 80,000 spectators at Signal Iduna Park, one of the stadiums with the most electric atmosphere in Europe and where the home team has not lost a game in this season. Champions League.

Atlético de Madrid did not know how to sustain the reaction

But the German gale was stopped after a childish error by the veteran Mats Hummelswho scored against his own goal after a failed clearance in a corner from the Atlético de Madrid. That goal changed the script of a match until then dominated by Borussia Dortmund and the team Diego Simeone He started playing in the opponent’s field.

That momentary mastery of the mattress makers was rewarded with a multiple opportunity that the Argentine Angel Correa He managed to score the second at 64′. It was a crazy game and in just 15 minutes the visiting team had turned it around, but they were unable to maintain that advantage. Niclas Füllkrug (71′) and Marcel Sabitzer (75′) they turned it around again for the home team.

After that umpteenth change in the score, Atlético de Madrid They tried to overcome it, but did not generate clear scoring opportunities in the last quarter of an hour in which the Germans’ fifth goal was closer than the Spanish’s third. The mattress makers They were eliminated and failed to qualify for the semifinals, the penultimate stage of the Champions League which has not been enough since 2017.

Thanks to the epic stadium and intense offensive football, Borussia Dortmund is once again among the four best in Europe, for the first time since 2013.