Atletico Madrid took to the Signal Iduna Park field with: Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Giménez, Hermoso, Azpilicueta; Llorente, Koke, De Paul; Morata and Griezmann. On the other side, the hosts lined up with: Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Emre Can; Brandt, Sancho, Adeyemi; and Füllkrug. There was one change in each team from the first leg. Hermoso came in for the suspended Lino at Atletico, and Brandt played in place of Nmecha for Dortmund.
Before the match began, the Madrid team arrived in Germany with a lead that allowed them to dream and also aimed to reach the Champions League semifinals for the fourth time under Diego Pablo Simeone (13-14, 15-16, and 16-17).
Simeone's men reached Signal Iduna Park facing an opponent that was undefeated in their last nine home Champions League games with five wins and four draws.
The dream of making the semifinals was palpable among the players, as Riquelme expressed before the game to Movistar's microphones: "It's a stadium with an amazing atmosphere, just like ours. We want to make it through, so we'll try to block everything out and go for it", he said.
The game began with a packed Signal Iduna Park, and the match started off at a fast pace. Before the 3-minute mark, César Azpilicueta justified his starting spot by preventing the 1-0. After a steal by Emre Can in his own half, Dortmund launched a counterattack with Julian Brandt heading down the left wing.
There, Karim Adeyemi sped past Nahuel Molina, entered the penalty area, and sent a low cross to the penalty spot where Marcel Sabitzer settled the ball with his right and shot with his left; Jan Oblak was beaten when Azpilicueta miraculously stretched to block the shot.
Atletico responded immediately with a long ball from Axel Witsel that Antoine Griezmann flicked on, enabling Álvaro Morata to break away at speed, almost alone, towards the goal guarded by Gregor Kobel. The Colchoneros' number 19, faced with the swift advance of the goalkeeper, chipped the ball clumsily and sent his shot wide.
The visiting team tried again in the 7th minute with a shot from Rodrigo De Paul from outside the box, following a pass from Molina, which Kobel caught at mid-height. The pace remained high, as demonstrated by Brandt with another run down the left side to cross low and unsuccessfully.
Fifteen minutes into the game, Brandt tested Oblak with a powerful right foot shot, and shortly after, Adeyemi also troubled the Slovenian goalkeeper with a right-foot volley. The possession clearly favored Edin Terzic's pupils, who calmly created another chance in the 27th minute thanks to Jadon Sancho down the left wing.
His cross into the heart of the box didn't find any teammates, but Dortmund quickly regained the ball and Sabitzer took a long shot that went over the bar. This was the prelude to Dortmund's first goal, scored by Brandt in the 34th minute after two consecutive mistakes by Molina on the right flank.
First-half dominance by the hosts
First, Molina saved a ball from going out of bounds only to gift it to the home team, which launched a high attack. Center-back Mats Hummels, from the three-quarters line, saw Brandt slip through a gap between Molina himself and Witsel, and assisted him with a beautiful three-finger strike.
Brandt controlled the ball, shaped up, and fired a low left-footed shot, beating Oblak who unsuccessfully tried to deflect it with his leg. Just five minutes later, the German side made it 2-0 following another error by Molina. Lacking intensity and lost in his marking, the Argentine right-back couldn't shake off Ian Maatsen who found a way into the box.
The Dortmund fullback sprinted, received a timely backheel from Sabitzer, and scored with a low left-footed shot to the far post. Diego Pablo Simeone's men were experiencing a 'déjà vu' of what happened on February 29 at the San Mamés Stadium, where a dreadful defensive performance led to a thrashing and elimination in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey.
A different look for ATM in the early minutes of the second half
The Colchoneros needed to reach halftime, and 'Cholo' Simeone took the opportunity to make three substitutions. Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Riquelme replaced the wingbacks, and Ángel Correa came on for a subdued Morata. And it was Correa who sparked the game with two approaches to Kobel's area, one on each wing, leading up to the 2-1.
On a corner kick to the far post, Mario Hermoso rose higher than anyone and headed towards goal; Hummels got his foot on the trajectory of the ball, touched it, changed its course, and inadvertently beat his goalkeeper. An own goal that spurred Atlético to seek the equalizer, first with a high shot from De Paul and then with a clear chance for Correa.
Koke Resurrección, with more air in the midfield thanks to Riquelme's energy, threaded a pass for the '10' Colchonero to slip behind the German defense and face Kobel, as Morata had done in the first half. Correa aimed his shot too precisely and missed, but didn't let up and found reward for his persistence in the 64th minute.
He received a cross on the right side of the box, advanced a few meters, and crossed to the opposite side for Riquelme, whose shot was parried by Kobel; Correa was alert to the rebound, shot on the first touch, was blocked, and then volleyed in the 2-2.
A stronger Borussia at many moments
Terzic then reacted by withdrawing Adeyemi to trust in Bynoe-Gittens, and there the 3-2 was forged in the 71st'. Brandt connected with Sabitzer, who crossed to the penalty spot, and Füllkrug jumped higher than Giménez to head almost into the far top corner. And in a flash, Dortmund scored the 4-2 (min.74) thanks to an omnipresent Sabitzer.
In an assist meant for Füllkrug, Giménez cleared it by throwing himself to the ground, which created a gap in the Colchonero defense. Sabitzer picked up the ball at the edge of the box, shaped his left-footed shot, and with a dry strike, placed the ball at the base of the post after passing several legs.
Desperate for another comeback, Atlético pushed, but this time without the necessary zeal, and nearly paid an even higher price. Oblak prevented the fifth German goal on two occasions, a point-blank shot from Füllkrug, and later a left-footed blast from Sabitzer from outside the box.
Saúl Ñíguez came on in the final stretch, but Simeone was out of alternative plans to prevent another debacle in the top continental tournament. The mad dash in stoppage time, with several substitutions made by Terzic, ultimately settled the match and ended the Rojiblancos' hopes of reaching the semifinals in this Champions League.