UEFA Champions League: Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan (AP)
Borussia Dortmund booked their spot within the Champions League final 16 by beating AC Milan 3-1 on the San Siro in a full of life Group F conflict.
Borussia Dortmund secured their spot within the final 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday with a 3-1 win at AC Milan, who’re staring early elimination within the face.
Marco Reus’ early penalty and second-half strikes from English teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi secured Dortmund’s passage into the following spherical with a match to spare.
Dortmund have been criticised for his or her home kind however are prime of Group F on 10 factors because of their third straight win within the competitors, which got here towards a Milan crew off-kind and riddled with accidents.
A draw with Paris Saint-Germain in Germany of their last group match subsequent month can be sufficient for Edin Terzic’s crew to ensure first place and a softer draw within the final 16.
“It was a great night… when the team plays well, it’s easier for the individual,” mentioned Mats Hummels.
“Now we want to get first spot, and avoid the crazy good teams.”
Milan, whose returning striker Olivier Giroud didn’t internet an early penalty, reached the semi-finals final season however sit backside of the group on 5 factors and have a job on their fingers to progress.
However, the tight nature of the group and Newcastle United’s draw at Paris Saint-Germain has left the door ajar for the hosts, who equalised by means of Samuel Chukwueze within the thirty seventh minute.
Milan are two factors behind second-positioned PSG and can make the knockout rounds in the event that they win at Newcastle and the French champions lose at Dortmund.
“We’ll give everything at Newcastle and try to win the game… I’d say we have about a two-to-three percent chance of qualifying,” admitted disillusioned Milan midfielder Yacine Adli.
“We’ll do everything we can and hope that Dortmund get a positive result.”
Dortmund punish Milan
The match received off to a frantic begin and Milan might have been forward very early on when a flashed low cross missed each Chukwueze and Olivier Giroud.
France striker Giroud then wasted the right probability to offer Milan the lead from the penalty spot within the seventh minute after Nico Schlotterbeck clumsily dealt with a Chukwueze shot.
And Reus punished the hosts within the tenth minute by displaying how Giroud the best way to take a spot-kick when Davide Calabria introduced down Bynoe-Gittens.
Milan have struggled to attain targets in current weeks and stored bouncing again off a yellow wall till Chukwueze weaved a little bit of magic down the fitting flank, reduce inside and flashed his end previous Gregor Kobel.
Chukwueze’s first aim since signing from Villarreal made him the second Nigerian to attain for Milan since Taribo West in 2000.
Calabria then missed a terrific probability to grab the lead in first-half stoppage time when he headed Christian Pulisic’s floated cross agonisingly throughout the face of aim.
Milan pushed however with out star winger Leao lacked leading edge and — after struggling one other harm blow when Milack Thiaw pulled up with a hamstring harm — the wind was pulled from their sails within the 59th minute, Bynoe-Gittens sweeping in his first Champions League aim from Marcel Sabitzer’s sensible flick.
Ten minutes later, Adeyemi made certain Dortmund would undergo with his first aim of the season, slicing inside Calabria earlier than letting off a rocket to which Mike Maignan received a hand however couldn’t cease from nearly squirming over the road.
Luka Jovic, who’s but to attain for Milan, then hit the publish with a header with 5 minutes remaining earlier than Niclas Fuellkrug rattled the bar with a strong shot moments later.
And that was it for Milan, who now should rediscover their mojo in entrance of aim and hope for a favour from Dortmund to be able to be part of the Bundesliga outfit the following spherical.
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – AFP)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been protecting home and and worldwide soccer for almost a decade. Has performed and c…Read More
