With a stalemate in their second-leg play-off against Sporting Lisbon, Borussia Dortmund secured a 3-0 aggregate victory to advance to the Champions League Round of 16 in early March.
Sporting’s strategy was clear from the start—defend deep, give up possession, and counter when Dortmund committed players forward. The first half unfolded slowly, with Sporting failing to threaten, especially after leaving key players Viktor Gyökeres and Francisco Trincão at home, a decision that angered their fans.
The best chance of the half came just before the hour mark when Rui Costa made a crucial save, deflecting Marcel Sabitzer’s powerful shot around the post. After the break, Dortmund continued to press, with Costa denying Adeyemi and Svensson from range.
Costa later redeemed himself by saving a penalty from Serhou Guirassy after fouling Adeyemi. At the other end, Sporting’s Alexandro Brito fired wide, and Gio Reyna hit the post in the 69th minute. Dortmund thought they had scored through Emre Can’s header, but a VAR review flagged it offside.
A late push from Sporting, including a close header from Konrad Harder, came to nothing. Dortmund easily progressed and will face either Aston Villa or LOSC Lille in the next round.
