Real Madrid advance into the semis despite loss

Real Madrid reached the last four of the UEFA Champions League 2013-14 getting past Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate. Dortmund came back strongly into the tie in spite of trailing 3-0 before the second leg at home but failed to stage an upset due to their ill-fortune. After getting 2-0 up before the break through Marco Reus’s double strike they hit the woodwork and came very close to the equalizer in the tie on number of occasions but luck was not on their side and the last year’s runners-up went out of the tournament before the semis. But it did not look that bad for the Germans before the kick-off as they had their talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski back in their starting eleven besides finding their opposition’s biggest threat Cristiano Ronaldo starting on the bench due to a knee injury. 

Also they had a penalty from Angelo Di Maria saved by their keeper Roman Weidenfeller in the 17^th minute of the match which resulted from a handball from Piszchek. It was a phase of 15 minutes from 23^rd to the 38^th minute when Dortmund scored twice through Marco Reus. They kept up the pressure in the second half as well and Casillas had to pull off some instinctive saves to deny the Germans the all important third goal.

When the final whistle went-off it was heartbreak for the Germans as they came so close to an upset but failing in the end. On the other hand, Carlos Ancelotti might have been breathing a sigh of relief as it was a close shave for the Spanish giants. It could have easily been much different had Ronaldo been in the playing eleven or Di Maria had put the ball in the back of the net in the early minutes of the game. But that’s the game of football-full of surprise- fortunes changing with every second passing. Ancelotti can’t blame his luck; rather he should be thankful that they are in the semis and still in track for winning the title.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.