Borussia Dortmund beat AC Milan to secure Champions League round of 16 spot

Borussia Dortmund are through to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 after claiming a 3-1 win over AC Milan.

A textbook UEFA Champions League away from home display helped Borussia Dortmund get the job done against AC Milan on Tuesday evening, as goals from Marco Reus, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi saw them earn a 3-1 win. The Black and Yellows defended with excellent resolve and counter-attacked clinically to secure their place in the round of 16.

Things could have gone very differently for Borussia Dortmund, as AC Milan started the game on the front foot and were awarded a penalty in the fifth minute after Nico Schlotterbeck handled the ball inside the box. But Gregor Kobel dived low to his right and made a brilliant save to deny Olivier Giroud from the spot.

Four minutes later, and it was Borussia Dortmund’s turn to get a penalty after Jamie Bynoe-Gittens was fouled inside the box. Marco Reus stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards out, giving his side a valuable lead.

The home side dominated possession after conceding the early goal, but struggled to find spaces for much of the first-half. Despite their lack of possession, Borussia Dortmund looked to be very much in control defensively and carried a big threat whenever they ventured forward.

But Milan equalised out of nowhere in the 37th minute, with Samuel Chukwueze doing really well to dribble into the box from the right wing before firing his shot past Kobel from a tight angle.

Chukwueze’s goal meant that Milan had momentum on their side going into the second-half. And while they started brightly, they weren’t able to find a way past the resolute Dortmund defence.

And BVB restored their lead in the 59th minute, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens threading the ball into the net after some excellent one-touch play in the build-up involving Niclas Füllkrug and Marcel Sabitzer.

Karim Adeyemi then came off the bench and doubled Borussia Dortmund’s lead in the 69th minute. And while Milan did come close to scoring on a couple of occasions late on, Edin Terzic’s side managed to see out the win rather comfortably in the end.

Borussia Dortmund now hold a three-point lead over second placed Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League group, and a draw on matchday six would be enough for them to qualify to the round of 16 as Group F winners.