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MADRID :Atletico Madrid struck twice in a dominant first half but had to survive a late fightback from Borussia Dortmund before earning a 2-1 win in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
The Spaniards, looking for their first semi-final spot in seven years, put the visitors on the backfoot with a frenetic high-pressing game and it paid off after four minutes with Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel delaying a pass to Ian Maatsen and Rodrigo De Paul intercepting it to slot in.
Only three minutes later Kobel pulled off a sensational one-handed save to push Axel Witsel’s backheel flick over the bar but the Germans were seriously struggling to get the ball out of their own half.
Their best chance was a low show by Maatsen that Atletico keeper Jan Oblak pushed wide.
The Spanish side scored again courtesy of another defensive blunder as Samuel Lino, who will miss the return leg next week after being booked, doubled their lead in the 32nd from an Antoine Griezmann assist.
The introduction of Julian Brandt after the break instantly gave Dortmund more punch up front but Lino forced another superb Kobel save in the 75th front before Sebastien Haller cut the deficit in the 81st minute to improve the Germans’ odds going into next Tuesday’s return leg.
Defender Mats Hummels, making his 500th appearance for Dortmund, then kept them in the game, slid in to stop Angel Correa.
The Germans missed two chances to equalise late in the game, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens’ deflected shot in the 87th bouncing off the crossbar and Brandt’s last-gasp header also hitting the woodwork in stoppage time.
Security had been tightened around the Metropolitano stadium following a threat of attacks by the resurgent Islamic State militant group with hundreds of officers inside and outside the stadium.
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