UCL: Borussia Dortmund Advances to UCL Quarterfinals

Borussia Dortmund comes from behind to defeat Lille 2-1, securing a 3-2 aggregate win and a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

Borussia Dortmund staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Lille 2-1 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, securing a 3-2 aggregate victory and a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. This triumph denied Lille their first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals.

Inspired by PSG's progression the previous night, Lille burst into an early lead within five minutes. Ismaily spearheaded a swift counterattack down the wing, cutting back to Jonathan David, who unleashed a tame, low-driven shot that inexplicably slipped through the grasp of Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Borussia Dortmund through to the last 8 ⚫🟡#UCL pic.twitter.com/ez0VqmYmRB

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 12, 2025

The visitors were reeling, and Lille could have easily doubled their lead if Rémy Cabella had better controlled his volley. However, Borussia Dortmund quickly regained their footing, crafting a series of scoring opportunities that astonishingly failed to yield a goal.

Dortmund's resurgence began with Serhou Guirassy, who drove forward from midfield and played Pascal Groß through, only for Lucas Chevalier's fingertips and Alexsandro's goal-line block to deny the shot. Chevalier then superbly tipped Julian Ryerson's effort around the post, and his most spectacular moment came from the ensuing corner. The Lille goalkeeper made an incredible double save to thwart Julian Brandt's header and Guirassy's point-blank rebound, before Benjamin André scrambled to block another Brandt effort on the line. In a stunning turn of events, André headed a prime scoring chance wide at the other end, while Groß headed against the bar, leaving the scoreline remarkably unchanged at halftime.

Undaunted, Niko Kovač's team pressed forward again after the restart and were soon rewarded with a penalty when Thomas Meunier, formerly of Dortmund, brought down Guirassy. Emre Can kept his composure to fire the penalty down the middle from 12 yards, leveling the score on the night and in the tie. The parity was preserved when Kobel made a crucial save to tip Hákon Arnar Haraldsson's effort over the bar.

Lille's brief reprieve was short-lived, as Dortmund promptly resumed their onslaught. Karim Adeyemi's shot clipped the bar, and Maximilian Beier headed wide, but Beier would soon make amends. He received a pass from Guirassy inside the box and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner, propelling Dortmund into the lead.

🏆©️ pic.twitter.com/Wbz5elS38I

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 12, 2025

As Lille attempted to mount a comeback, Jonathan David and Chuba Akpom both tested Kobel with straight shots, but Dortmund's defense held firm, securing their progression to the next round. The Champions League continues to offer a welcome respite from their struggling domestic campaign, but a formidable challenge awaits in the quarterfinals against in-form Barcelona. Meanwhile, Lille's exit marks only their third defeat in 17 home matches across all competitions, shifting their focus to securing a UCL spot through their league finish.