Lacklustre Borussia Dortmund play out goalless draw against AC Milan
By Tushar Bahl
Borussia Dortmund could only manage a goalless draw at home to AC Milan, leaving them sitting at the bottom of Group F after two matches.
A laboured performance resulted in a goalless draw for Borussia Dortmund, as they kept AC Milan at bay without creating much in terms of clear cut chances. It was a cagey game in which chances came at a premium. The Black and Yellows dominated possession but failed to do enough in the final third to claim the three points.
Edin Terzic made one change to his starting XI with Emre Can coming in to the team for Felix Nmecha. The change in approach worked well initially as Borussia Dortmund were able to control the tempo of the game for the majority of the first-half.
BVB looked much more proactive than they did against PSG early on, with Milan happy to set back and search for openings on the counter-attacking. Donyell Malen fired a shot wide from the edge of the box, before Niclas Füllkrug forced a save from the Milan goalkeeper.
The best chance of the first-half fell to AC Milan, but Olivier Giroud fired his shot just over the bar from close range. The game picked up pace in the closing stages of the first-half, but there was nothing to separate the two sides going into the break.
The first chance of the second-half fell to former BVB winger Christian Pulisic, but Gregor Kobel was up to the task and made a routine save to deny him.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens came off the bench and looked lively for Borussia Dortmund, but the hosts seemed to be lacking an attacking edge in front of goal.
Milan grew in confidence as the game went on and had a glorious double chance in the 85th minute. But Kobel saved Samuel Chukwueze’s shot before Tijjani Reijnders missed the target on the rebound.
dark. Next. Borussia Dortmund player ratings from goalless draw against AC Milan
The draw against AC Milan – especially combined with Newcastle United’s shock win over Paris Saint-Germain – is a big blow to Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of qualifying for the round of 16. They must now lift themselves back up quickly, with another tricky test against Union Berlin awaiting them this weekend.