Borussia Dortmund beaten by Atletico Madrid but Sebastien Haller's late goal gives them hope ahead of second leg

Borussia Dortmund tasted a 2-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, but Sebastien Haller's late goal keeps them very much in the contest.

A spirited second-half performance nearly helped Borussia Dortmund rescue a draw against Atletico Madrid. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julian Brandt were both denied by the woodwork late on after Sebastien Haller had halved the deficit. But it was the Spaniards who triumphed in the end, courtesy of first-half goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino.

Borussia Dortmund will certainly feel that they can live with the 2-1 defeat, especially considering the woeful start they made to the game. That second-half performance will certainly give the Black and Yellows hope that they can overturn the deficit at the Westfalenstadion next week. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, will be disappointed that the tie is not done and dusted heading into the second leg.

Edin Terzic decided to spring one surprise with his starting XI, as Felix Nmecha got the nod to start in midfield ahead of Julian Brandt. Niclas Füllkrug kept his spot up front once again, with Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi starting alongside him in attack.

Borussia Dortmund struggled to get out of their shell in the first-half, with the hard working Atletico Madrid all over them. The Black and Yellows were second best in nearly every department, with Atletico in full control against an unsettled BVB side.

Ian Maatsen managed to prevent Alvaro Morata from scoring inside the first two minutes. But he was the culprit two minutes later, as Rodrigo De Paul opened the scoring for the home side. Poor decision making from Gregor Kobel put the Dutchman under pressure, as his attempted pass was caught and De Paul kept his composure in front of goal to give Atletico the lead.

The second goal was also gifted to Atletico, with a horrible piece of miscommunication between Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck allowing Antoine Griezmann to find Samuel Lino, who made it 2-0 at the half hour mark.

The Nmecha experiment ended after just 45 minutes, with Terzic deciding to bring on Brandt. Sebastien Haller also came on for the ineffective Füllkrug. And the duo combined to bring Borussia Dortmund back in the contest.

Brandt threaded a pass into the path of Haller, who thumped the ball into the net with an excellent first-time finish after the ball bounced kindly for him off of an Atletico defender.

Borussia Dortmund nearly completed the comeback late on, but Bynoe-Gittens and Brandt were both denied by the woodwork.

The relief was clear on the Atletico Madrid players' faces after the full-time whistle, as they managed to hang on for the win after being in cruise control for much of the first-half. For Borussia Dortmund, the second-half brings some much needed hope. But they will need to be at their very best in the second leg at home next week to make their Champions League semifinals dream a reality.