Dortmund sporting director confident of Champions League comeback

Atletico Madrid earned a 2-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, surviving a late onslaught from the visitors.

Rodrigo de Paul and Samuel Lino's first half goals gave Diego Simeone's side a commanding lead but Sebastien Haller pulled one back to give the German side a foothold in the tie ahead of next week's return in Dortmund.

However, Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl, who came under fire for a heated confrontation with coach Diego Simeone, said a comeback is possible at Signal Iduna Park.

"We didn't play well in the first 20 minutes and were partly responsible for the two goals we let in. Our play was error-strewn. But the reaction was good. We arrested our slide, controlled the game later on and put Atletico under pressure," Kehl began.

"Even with the score at 2-0, we had the feeling that we could still sort this out in Dortmund. But obviously the goal that we scored is important and above all also deserved because the team applied a lot of pressure in the second period," he said.

He went on to add: "We deserve more than earned the result. Even more was in it. We'll come away with a good feeling that we can sort this out next week. It definitely isn't over yet."

 

April 10, 2024