Skip to main content

Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Tottenham: Thrilling Second-Half Spurs Comeback Secures Top Spot

  • Author:
  • Publish date:

Tottenham Hotspur secured top spot in Group H and became only the second English side in history, after rivals Arsenal, to claim victory at the home of Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday evening after coming back from a goal down to leave north Rhine-Westphalia with all three points. 

It was not the 54th birthday BVB boss Peter Bosz had wished for, even though the Bundesliga outfit opened the scoring on the half-hour mark when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, returning to the side following his discipline dispute last weekend, rounded off a beautifully worked team goal to give his side the lead at the break.

Two well-taken second half finishes from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were enough to complete the impressive comeback for the Premier League side and stretch Spurs' unbeaten run in the competition to five games, as well as all securing qualification into the last 16 via top spot in Group H. 

5a149bea2ee40f2a32000001.jpg

It was a tense opening inside the electric Signal Iduna Park, with the hosts gradually growing into proceedings as the first quarter ticked by, and the Bundesliga side really should have had something to show for their emerging dominance just before the 20-minute mark. 

It was a neat bit of build-up play that allowed Aubameyang to find himself in on goal with only Hugo Lloris to beat, after the Gabon international had latched onto a looped pass which got the better of Tottenham's offside trap. 

However, the striker, who had not found the back of the net before tonight since his brace against RB Leipzig in mid-October, showed his lack of confidence, dragging his effort scruffily past the advancing French custodian, but also well past the post. 

However, it seemed that the opening spurred Dortmund to grow in confidence, as following 10 minutes of comfort on the ball, Aubameyang finally found the breakthrough. 

The initial move was started by Raphael Guerreiro, whose incisive pass found the feet of Andriy Yarmolenko on the edge of the Spurs area. 

It looked for sure as though Russian was to take a touch and potentially try and test Lloris himself, however the 28-year-old's vision allowed him to find his attacking teammate in space courtesy of a delicious back heel, with the frontman then finally ending his goal drought thanks to a well-struck, across-the-keeper finish to send his side ahead. 

However in what followed, the hosts were a Roman Burki save away from surrendering their lead on two occasions in as many minutes. The 27-year-old's initial stop came as he denied Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen from close range after the Dane snook free inside the BVB area to latch onto a ball from deep. 

But the Switzerland international then topped that with one of the saves of the season from the following corner as the shot stopper, who has not enjoyed his finest campaign so far this year, was on hand to answer Eric Dier's goal-bound header with a simply stunning outstretched claw and to keep his side ahead heading into the break. 

However, Burki's clean sheet lasted just three minutes of the second half as Kane ended his mini barren spell of three games in front of goal by netting his sixth of this year's Champions League campaign and his 18th of the season across all competitions. 

The Englishman was found on the edge of the area and in typical fashion bundled his way through BVB's defensive efforts before clinically dispatching his effort from 18 yards past the Swiss custodian to give his side the perfect start after half-time. 

After Spurs' equaliser the tempo inside the Signal Iduna Park dropped dramatically, with neither side seemingly wanting to leave their defences too exposed. However, a moment of magic from Son broke that lull, with the South Korean completing Tottenham's comeback in style. 

Admittedly, a lot of credit had to be handed to Dele Alli, whose persistence on the left-hand side of the area saw him beat two Dortmund defenders before being able to advance into the box and pick out his teammate, who then dispatched his curling effort which found the top right-hand corner of Burki's net, sending the travelling Tottenham contingent into raptures. 

After their second Spurs were rarely troubled, however the sight of the BVB custodian being stretchered off following his collision with visitors' substitute Fernando Llorente were not pretty. 

Without doubt all within the Signal Iduna Park will be wishing the Swiss shot stopper a speedy recovery, however their hopes of another successful Champions League campaign are over, for this year at least, with now the prospect of Europa League football the only the only taste of Europa that will be played following their return after the winter break.