Dortmund surrender lead as Lille earn draw in Champions League round of 16 first leg

Berlin, March 5 (IANS) Hakon Haraldsson’s second-half equaliser earned Lille a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday (IST).

Dortmund dominated from the start, with Serhou Guirassy firing an early warning shot that narrowly missed the left-hand post after ten minutes.

The hosts controlled the early exchanges as Lille struggled to break through a disciplined Dortmund defense, reports Xinhua.

Dortmund’s pressure paid off in the 22nd minute when a poor clearance by Alexsandro landed perfectly for Karim Adeyemi, who struck a stunning left-footed volley into the roof of the net.

Lille’s best chance of the first half came from Mohamed Bayo, whose long-range effort in the 26th minute went just wide.

Dortmund continued to push forward but failed to capitalize. Julian Brandt’s cross went wide in the 33rd minute, and Pascal Gross had a stoppage-time goal ruled out for offside.

After the break, Lille increased the intensity and forced Dortmund into a more defensive stance.

Jonathan David came close in the 54th minute, but Alexander Svensson made a crucial block. Lille had a penalty appeal denied two minutes later when Nico Schlotterbeck challenged David in the box.

Lille’s persistence paid off in the 68th minute. David’s through ball found Haraldsson, who controlled it well and fired past Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from close range.

The equaliser briefly sparked Dortmund into action, but their momentum quickly waned. The hosts failed to register a shot on target in the second half, while Lille also struggled to find a breakthrough.

“It was a fair draw in the end. We did a lot more in the first period and deserved to lead too. Lille had more of the game in the second period; we were generally more passive and no longer had control over the match. We were no longer able to get into phases where we held the ball up and brought more certainty into our play.

“Overall, we found few footballing solutions and often played long balls. It definitely was not the plan for the second half. We invested too little to possibly score a second goal in the second period. There’s actually a clear message for next week after this game; we have to win,” Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl said.

With the tie still in the balance, the teams will meet again in France for the decisive second leg.

–IANS

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