UCL: Dortmund defeats Lille to reach last eight

Borussia Dortmund earned a 2-1 away victory over Lille to seal their spot in the quarterfinal of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign.

The last season’s finalists joined the likes of Barcelona, PSG and co., in the quarters following their 3-2 aggregate win.

The French side showed glimpse of taking home the victory as scored early, while Lucas Chevalier’s goalline heroics fuelled belief.

However, a second half collapse saw Lille’s hard work disappear against the Germans.

Jonathan David opened the scoring after just five minutes, giving Lille the lead. A tenacious defending from Ismaily bullied Karim Adeyemi off the ball before Ayyoub Bouaddi assisted David’s goal. flying forward. The fullback strode from the halfway line into the box, fed David, who shot in between Gregor Kobel’s legs.

Lille goalkeeper, Chevalier, made himself a wide wall to keep the scoreline same in the first half.  The Frenchman allowed nothing past, as he also made three last gasp saves to somehow keep Dortmund scoreless.

The hosts almost doubled the lead before the end of first half but were unlucky as Benjamin Andre’s header went a bit wide.

Dortmund fought back in the second half, as they equalised, courtesy of Emre Can’s penalty. Ex-Dortmund right back, Thomas Meunier pushed Serhou Guirassy, allowing the referee point to the spot. Caltain Can stepped up and fired down the middle, leaving Chevalier diving off to the side.

The Ligue 1 side fell again, with Guirassy been once again involved as he set up Maximilian Beier. The winger outplayed Bafodé Diakité before rippling a shot into the net to make it 2-1 and 3-2 on aggregate.

The Germans sat on the lead as they claimed the crucial win to set up Barcelona clash for the quarter finals.