Dortmund labour to cagey stalemate with Lille

BVB hosted LOSC Lille this evening in the UEFA Champions League last-16 first-leg which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In yet another clichéd game of two halves – something seen all too often at the Wesfalenstadion this season – a dominant Dortmund faded away in a tense stalemate with Lille.

It was a slightly cagey start from the hosts as the French club appeared that bit more cohesive. A couple of Dortmund passes which went astray perhaps reflective of early nerves.  

After some neat defending by Emre Can, the first significant chance fell to BVB. Jamie Gittens fed Serhou Guirassy whose nifty snapshot whistled past the left post. 

While the occasional misplaced pass persisted, BVB’s aggressive pressing started to constrict the French club’s ability to play it out from the back. The pressure eventually told. 

A 22nd-minute corner met by the head of Alexsandro fell perfectly for Karim Adeyemi. Perched on the edge of the box, the 23-year-old fizzed a left-footed volley past Chevalier who stood rooted to the spot. 

BVB almost extended their lead before the break – Julian Brandt’s cut-back and a Nico Schlotterbeck strike that went close. Pascal Groß thought he bundled home the second goal from a corner, but the offside flag cut short any celebrations. 

Once again, Lille emerged from the dressing rooms with a bit more bite as Jonathan David’s influence grew. The Canadian had a brief penalty appeal just before the hour mark. The Spanish arbiter saw nothing in the collision with Schlotterbeck. 

Lille dragged themselves level in the 68th-minute in a goal which reflected their second-half dominance. Jonathan David slipped in Haraldsson, who despite almost losing his balance, prodded it past Kobel.

A brief moment of controversy arose late on when Daniel Svensson hobbled from the field. On review, Andre Gomez raked the young Swede with his studs. A VAR review for a potential red card never materialized.