Tottenham emerge victorious against Dortmund despite lacking key players
What's the story
Mauricio Pochettino has further improved his resume with a miraculous win against Borussia Dortmund when key players like Harry Kane and Dele Alli were not present in the team. Goals from Heung-min Son, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente saw Tottenham gain a huge advantage before their second leg at the Signal Iduna Park. Here's our detailed match report.
First half
Dortmund were impressive in the first half
Borussia Dortmund were quite impressive in the first half and even produced some attacking chances. Pulisic missed a chance to take the lead when he failed to beat Hugo Lloris at the near post. Even Jadon Sancho was beginning to threaten the Spurs defense but Dortmund never managed to produce the final pass that would lead to a goal.
Tottenham
Spurs did what they do best: Owned the second half
As seen on many different occasions, especially this season, Spurs were a completely changed side after the half-time. Their attacking vigor and intensity was turned up quite a few notches and the Reus-bereft Dortmund could hardly match up to Pochettino's side. Son started the scoring when he converted from Vertonghen's cross, while the latter finished from Aurier's cross and Llorente scored a header.
Stats
Some interesting stats from the match
This is the first time in history Dortmund have conceded three goals in the second half of a match. This is the first time since 2011 an English side has won their UCL home match against German opponents in the knockout stage. Apart from a match against Swansea back in 2013, this is the only time in his Tottenham career that Vertonghen has managed to score and assist in a single match.
Second leg
The next leg is going to be a complete thrill-ride
It seems guaranteed that the second leg of the encounter shall be a joy to behold. With players like Marco Reus, Paco Alcacer, Harry Kane, and Dele Alli back into the fold by then, the two sides will be reinvigorated for the clash. Dortmund have a mountain to climb, and will need their best available resources when the two sides meet on March 6.