Inter Milan strike late to defeat Dortmund

The Serie A leaders struck twice past the 80th-minute to leave Dortmund with three crucial points.

In the last of the Champions League’s league phase games, Borussia Dortmund welcomed Inter Milan to the Westfalenstadion tonight. With a lot on the line in terms of knockout qualification, the Westphalians slipped to a 2-0 defeat sending them to the play-offs. 

In typical fashion, Inter Milan controlled the bulk of possession albeit the first real chance fell to Serhou Guirassy. A corner fell to Julian Ryerson whose scuffed shot left the striker one-on-one, but he couldn’t make a clean connection as Yann Sommer smothered.

Inter Milan had some half-chances of their own as Frederico Dimarco and Yan Bisseck stung the palms of Gregor Kobel. Eventually, the end-to-end flow of the match cooled down with opportunities a rare commodity beyond the half-hour. 

With so much on the line in the context of the league phase table, there was a cup final feel to the entire first-half. Before the break, Fábio Silva glanced wide from a Ryerson set-piece, while Luis Henrique managed to pick out Ange-Yoan Bonny who miscued with his head.

Dortmund emerged from the dressing rooms with some vigour – Ramy Bensebaini’s ball from a free fell to Maxi Beier who couldn’t quite capitalise. Inter waited a little over 10 minutes before introducing Edu Esposito for Bonny who didn’t get much of a look in.

Niko Kovač’s side looked far more likely to score despite no real clear-cut opportunities being created. Suddenly, BVB’s goal was at the mercy of substitute Esposito. Just as the youngster went to pull the trigger, Bensebaini pulled off a sensational sliding interception.

With a little over 20 minutes remaining, Karim Adeyemi replaced Guirassy in attack. His impact would have been instant but for the fast reactions of Sommer to dive on the ball. At the other end, ex-Gladbach star Marcus Thuram headed into Kobel’s grasp. 

Eventually the deadlock was decisively broken in the 81st-minute as Nmecha upended Mkhitaryan on the edge of the box. Up stepped Dimarco to curl his freekick over the wall into the corner. BVB never managed to recover, despite half-hearted penalty appeal.

The result was firmly put to bed in injury time when the Serie A leaders made it 2-0 through Andy Diouf. Adeyemi, wasteful in possession, allowed the substitute to maze his way into the box and find the net via a deflection. Dortmund will now be unseeded in the play-off draw meaning an away game second-leg fixture.