Match Report
Adeyemi's goal not enough as BVB draw 1-1
Boris Rupert reporting
Controlled attacking play in the first period with goal from a set-piece: Karim Adeyemi slotted home in the aftermath of the first corner-kick in the 22nd minute, drilling home a stunning strike from 17 metres out that was powerful and precise in equal measure to make it 1-0. Lille grew stronger after the interval and restored parity at 1-1 through Haraldsson in the 68th minute. BVB had hardly any tempo and penetration in their play.
The scenario:
The Black & Yellows were facing French opposition in the knockout tie of a European cup competition for the eighth time: they had previously come out on top on five occasions and been eliminated two times. OSC Lille, who finished in fourth place in Ligue 1 last season, had ended the league phase of the Champions League in seventh place with only one point more than BVB.
Personnel matters:
In addition to the injured Felix Nmecha, coach Niko Kovac was without Carney Chukwuemeka, who was suffering from a bruised thigh, and made four changes to the starting line-up that played in the 2-0 away victory against FC St. Pauli last Saturday: full-backs Ryerson and Svensson as well as midfielders Brandt and Gittens replaced the quartet of Couto, Bensebaini, Reyna and Beier, who all dropped to the bench.
Tactics:
Both teams operated in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lille lined up with a flexible midfield set-up, playing at times with one No. 10 (Mukau) and at times with two, with Bouaddi advancing from the holding role to the centre-left of midfield; right-back Meunier would then push forward into midfield. It was similar for BVB, for whom left-back Svensson consistently moved inside in possession, turning a 4-2-3-1 into a 3-2-4-1 with Groß and Brandt as No. 10s. Gittens was always up against two opponents: Meunier and Mbappé.
The match & analysis:
Both teams adopted a committed approach to the match without taking big risks; both had spells in the opposition half without exuding too much of a goal threat. The first shot that the 81,365 spectators at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK witnessed came in the 10th minute, when Guirassy received the ball from Gittens on the left of the box and fired just wide of the upright.
The first corner resulted in the opening goal. Though Can failed to win the aerial battle with Alexsandro following Ryerson's cross, the attempted clearance was underhit. Adeyemi executed a technically demanding first-time strike from distance that flew low and like a bullet into the bottom left corner of the net from 17 metres out – 1-0 with 22 minutes played. Shortly before the interval, Schlotterbeck had another go from distance: his powerful right-footed strike sailed only narrowly wide of the target (38). The ball ended up in the OSC Lille net for a second time at the end of stoppage time, but Groß was deemed to be offside after Can had flicked on a Ryerson corner with his head.
Svensson blocked a shot from David eight minutes after the restart and thwarted the first major opportunity for the French, who were having lots of possession and pressing high up the pitch. This created space, but the counter-attacking moves were executed too carelessly. With the game on a knife-edge and an hour on the clock, Lille struck: André's pass picked out David and he threaded the ball into the path of Haraldsson, who sprinted into the box, stumbled and slotted a low shot into the bottom right corner from 13 metres as he fell. The French side's first shot on goal had made it 1-1 (68).
Dortmund's play was too static and too slow. They rarely got to the byline. They only managed to do so in the 69th minute, directly after the equaliser, when Schlotterbeck played a long ball to Brandt but Guirassy could not assert himself in the six-yard box. Svensson had to go off with an injury with 10 minutes to go after a foul from Gomes. That turned a planned double substitution into a triple change with Bensebaini coming on in addition to Reyna and Couto, who replaced Brandt and Ryerson.
Outlook:
The outcome of this round of 16 tie will be determined in the return leg in Lille next Wednesday. Before that, BVB will go up against FC Augsburg in the league on Saturday.
Teams & goals
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg
Tuesday 4 March 2025, 21:00 CET
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1-1 (1-0) OSC Lille
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson (Couto, 83), Can, Schlotterbeck, Svensson (Bensebaini, 83) – Sabitzer, Groß – Adeyemi, Brandt (Reyna, 83), Gittens (Beier, 66) – Guirassy
OSC Lille: Chevalier – Meunier, Diakité, Alexsandro, Ismaily (Bakker, 77) – André, Bouaddi – E. Mbappé (Fernandez-Pardo, 70), Mukau (Gomes, 77), Haraldsson – David
Substitutes: Meyer, Özcan, Anton, Duranville, Süle – Caillard, Mannone, Cossier, Gudmundsson, Mandi, Cabella, Gomes, Akpom, Lachaab
Goals: 1-0 Adeyemi (22), 1-1 Haraldsson (David, 68)
Corners: 5-1 (3-1 at half-time), chance ratio: 2-1 (2-0)
Referee: Sanchez Martinez (Spain), yellow cards: Can, Groß
Attendance: 81,365 (sold-out), weather: dry, 5 degrees