PSV started the UCL knockout stage with a promising draw against their German rivals.
PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday. The wasteful hosts settled for a draw despite dominating their opponents for most of the game.
What happened?
Dortmund controlled the possession early on as PSV struggled to find their feet in the game. Following a few missed chances, the Black and Yellows broke the deadlock through Donyell Mallen in the 24th minute.
The former PSV star latched onto a short pass from Marcel Sabitzer before rushing into the box and unleashing his brilliant finish from a tight angle on the right.
The goal forced PSV to put more bodies forward as they pushed for the equalizer. However, the Dutch giants had to wait until the 56th minute to make it 1-1 through Luuk de Jong’s penalty.
The former Barcelona star scored his 27th goal of the season for PSV across all competition, setting the stage for his side’s dominance in the remainder of the second period.
PSV created a host of serious chances to complete their comeback but lacked enough attacking edge to change the result. The two sides will meet in a nicely poised second leg on March 13.
PSV vs Dortmund: Man of the Match
Alexander Meyer deserves the Man of the Match title for keeping Dortmund in the tie with a brilliant performance between the posts. The German star made four saves and delivered eight long balls during the game.
Player Ratings
PSV: Benítez (7); Teze (6), Boscagli (7), Schouten (6), Dest (7); Saibari (7), Veerman (7), Tillman (7); Lozano (7), De Jong (7), Bakayoko (6).
Bench: Pepi (6), Mauri Jr (5), Obispo (-).
Dortmund: Kobel (8), Ryerson (6), Schlotterbeck (7), Hummels (6), Maatsen (6); Can (5), Sabitzer (7); Sancho (5), Reus (6), Malen (8); Füllkrug (6).
Bench: Brandt (6), Wolf (7), Ozcan (6), Moukoko (6)
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