Borussia Dortmund took charge of the Champions League round of 16 tie with Sevilla, with Erling Haaland scoring two goals in a 3-2 recovery win in Andalusia.
Sevilla in good form had an ideal start when Suso’s low shot deflected from Mats Hummels on goal in the seventh minute, and the Spanish team seemed to be holding on tight until Mahmoud Dahoud’s brilliant long-range effort drew Dortmund. From then on, it was Haaland’s show, with the Norwegian buzzing through the opposing defense twice before the break to turn the tie upside down.
Substitute Luuk De Jong, the hero of the Europa League final, offered openness in the hosts’ game that was previously missing and converted a brilliant cross from Oscar Rodriguez to narrow the gap in half, giving Sevilla hope for the second leg. They will, however, demand a much better performance in attack and do a better job of chaining Haaland if they want to win in Dortmund next month.
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See how the individual players fared in tonight’s game:
Sevilla reviews
Bono: Although he conceded as many goals in the first 45 minutes as in the previous six games, it was difficult to identify what he really did wrong. Perhaps he was a little shocked when Haaland sneaked behind the bottom line, but Sevilla’s defeat in the first half was not about the goalkeeper. Assessment: 5
Jesus Navas: Throughout the game he brought offensive punches, a desire to compromise players and reach positions where he could impact the progress of the dispute. Few others could say the same. Assessment: 6
Diego Carlos: Consider yourself fortunate to never know the terror that inflicted on Carlos whenever Haaland ran straight for him. The hard truth is that he was just running away from star striker Dortmund for his first goal and was unable to even keep up with Jadon Sancho. Assessment: 3
Jules Kounde: He passed the ball very well, the problem is that it took forever to deliver the ball to a teammate. For such a renowned defender, he was exceptionally passive, seeming to shy away from confrontations with Haaland. Assessment: 4
Sergio Escudero: The veteran center-back coped well with the pressure that fell on Dortmund, but did not give the same attacking strike at the cross that Navas did on the opposite flank. Assessment: 4
Joan Jordan: In defense, Jordan was one of the few outstanding Sevilla players, winning many tackles and regaining possession regularly. However, although he saw the ball a lot, he did very little with it, as he and his teammates hit the attack. Assessment: 4
Fernando: At first, he spread the ball quickly and accurately, never as much as when he found Suso in space for the opening goal of the game. That made it even more curious that when Sevilla was trying to get back in the game, he was so passive Assessment: 4
Ivan Rakitic: No one better represented Sevilla’s passive response to the debut than Rakitic. Not once did the Croat try to take the ball to the Dortmund area in the first half, his only notable pass in that period putting Alejandro Gomez in all kinds of danger that led to Haaland’s second. Assessment: 3
Suso: His debut came from both Dortmund’s half-baked defense and any great quality from him, except for a good turn to send Sancho jumping. After that brilliant start, he struggled to make a real impact on the contest. Assessment: 5
Youssef En-Nesyri: Too bad the Moroccan, who gave just 12 touches in a game that completely overtook him. Assessment: 4
Alejandro Gomez: There had been so much excitement to see Papu Gomez in this team, the hope that he would be the man who would win the most chances for quality in a solid and patient Sevilla team. It took him 48 minutes to realize that he didn’t need to play at their pace, hitting a corner and hitting a violent kick on the second post. That was the sum of his attack output on a frustrating night. Assessment: 3
Nemanja Gudelj (sub, Rakitic, 46 ‘): A little more reliable with the ball than Rakitic, but Gudelj did not offer the energy and verticality that Sevilla desperately needed in the second half. Assessment: 4
Oliver Torres (substitute, Suso, 60 ‘): Unlike many of his teammates, whenever the ball came the way of Torres, his immediate response was to look up and try to get Sevilla forward. Assessment: 6
Luuk De Jong (sub, En-Nesyryi, 60 ‘): A more robust presence at the tip of Sevilla’s attack, he offered his teammates something to aim for. When the throw was right, he could count on the chance to put the ball in the net. Assessment: 6
Munir (sub, Gomez, 60 ‘): He had difficulty giving a real attacking strike to Sevilla’s search for goals in the final third of the match. Assessment: 5
Oscar Rodriguez (substitute, Jordan, 72 ‘): He almost converted Sevilla’s first chance in the second half when he hit a brilliant free-kick against the post and made an excellent cross for De Jong to score late in the game. Assessment: 7
Julen Lopetegui: You certainly can’t blame his commitment to making initial changes, but nothing he did before Rodriguez’s late entry brought any momentum to a side that wasted the perfect start. Assessment: 4
Borussia Dortmund ratings
Marwin Hitz: Nothing he could do about Hummels deflecting Suso’s first goal, but he had a great view of Haalan’s masterclass after that and Sevilla was not as sharp as Dortmund at the other end in attacking his goal. However, he was lucky when the hosts attacked later. ASSESSMENT: 6
Mateu Morey: The Spaniard worked hard on the right and interrupted Sevilla’s search for dead balls in the first half when Manuel Akanji struggled with a blow. Assessment: 6
Manuel Akanji: The Swiss international moved on after an early beat and made a good pair with Hummels to keep Sevilla away. Assessment: 6
Mats Hummels: He awkwardly deflected Suso’s shot past Hitz, but the influential German was solid, although he was given a yellow card at the end of the game for a foul on De Jong. Assessment: 5
Raphael Guerreiro: As always, an important attack and an energetic presence on the left that has been noted for some time by those interested in surveillance. Assessment: 6
Mahmoud Dahoud: He scored with an impressive shot to bring Dortmund back to the clash and was part of a solid midfield unit. Assessment: 7
Emre can: His experience was largely complementary with Jude Bellingham, until the German international threatened to lose his cool in the end, but his disciplined display lost some luster by losing De Jong at the end of Sevilla’s second goal. Assessment: 6
Jude Bellingham: He showed great maturity for his tender 17 years of age and kept midfield partner Can under control at one point. Assessment: 6
Marco Reus: He watched Dortmund’s third goal, pressed well and combined well with Haaland and Sancho before making way for Julian Brandt in the 80th minute. Assessment: 7
Jadon Sancho: Sublime assistance for Haaland the first time, when Dortmund started to turn the bolt, but became quieter in the second half until he shot beside death. Assessment: 7
Erling Haaland: Two goals and an assist while the Norwegian international continues to terrorize the Champions League defenses, with 18 goals in 13 matches. A late booking took some of the shine out of your night. Assessment: 9
Felix Passlack (sub, Warrior, 76 ‘): Sent on 77 minutes to replace Guerreiro on Terzic’s first change, he didn’t have much time to influence the game. Assessment: N / D
Julian Brandt (sub, Reus, 80 ‘): 10 minutes were given at the end and it was not enough to have a great influence on the result. Assessment: N / D
Thomas Meunier (sub, Dahoud, 90 ‘): The briefest of cameos at the end. Assessment: N / D
Edin Terzic: Stuck in your system for as long as possible and avoiding making changes for up to 13 minutes. Spin your luck on the spot, but in the end celebrate the points. Assessment: 7