At 3:00 am on April 11th, Beijing time, the first leg of the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-finals: Atletico Madrid VS Dortmund.
The Champions League reached the quarter-finals, with 3 teams in La Liga, 2 teams in the Premier League, 2 teams in the Bundesliga, and 1 team in Ligue 1. Itâs not that La Liga is so strong, but the rise of Atletico Madrid is quite surprising. In the past, it was difficult to qualify for the group. This season, not only did it qualify first in the group, but it also made an upset comeback in the 1/8 finals and eliminated a team that was once regarded as the championship. Popular Inter Milan.
html In the 01/4 finals, from Atletico Madrid's point of view, the luck is on the top. Except for Dortmund, none of the other six opponents are more difficult to deal with than Dortmund. From Dortmund's point of view, the idea is the same as Atletico Madrid. Apart from Atletico Madrid, they are not sure about facing anyone.
So in this seemingly even matchup, who can move on and who will end their Champions League journey?
Atletico Madrid started with a 352 formation, with Griezmann and Morata as forwards, midfielders Lino, De Paul, Koke, Llorente, and Molina, and three central defenders, Azpilicueta, Jimenez, Witsel, goalkeeper Oblak. The starting eleven are worth a total of 240 million euros.
Dortmund started with a 4231 formation, center Phil Kruger, forward line Adeyemi, Enmeca, Sancho, double midfielder Can, Sabitzer, four backs Mattsson, Schlotterbeck, Hu Mei Erles, Leersson, goalkeeper Kerber. The starting eleven are worth a total of 250 million euros.
After the game started, Atletico Madrid, playing at home, had a clear advantage.
In the 2nd minute, Atletico Madrid counterattacked, Griezmann passed the ball, Morata hit the goal, and was blocked by Mattson.
In the 4th minute of the game, Kerber made a mistake with the ball in the backcourt. Mattson's cross pass was intercepted by DePaul, who easily hit the goal. Atletico leads Dortmund 1:0.
In the 7th minute, Griezmann passed the penalty area from the left, and Witsel's shot was saved by Kerber.
In the 32nd minute, Dortmund's defense made another mistake. Griezmann passed the ball from the left and Lino scored with a push. Atletico Madrid 2:0 Dortmund.
In the 35th minute, DePaul made a pass error and was intercepted. Adeyemi volleyed in the penalty area, hitting Witsel and popping the crossbar.
In the 42nd minute, Adeyemi's shot was blocked. Mattson took the ball outside the penalty area and fired a shot, which was saved by Oblak.
In the 60th minute, Alai replaced Phil Kruger. Perhaps Dortmund should have made this substitution adjustment earlier.
In the 80th minute, Brandt passed the ball diagonally into the penalty area from the top of the arc. Jimenez failed to clear the ball in time, and Alai scored with a volley. Dortmund 1:2 Atletico Madrid.
This seemed like a face-saving goal, but it left suspense for the second round. On the surface, Atletico Madrid has a chance to advance, but it's hard to tell when they go away in the second round.
