Berlin: Borussia Dortmund have consolidated their second place in UEFA Champions League Group G after Jude Bellingham’s equaliser helped to clinch a 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Tuesday.
The visitors from Spain started brightly on the road and produced the first chance of the encounter with 12 minutes played when Ivan Raktic pulled a square pass over from a promising position.
Sevilla were rewarded for their courageous start six minutes later, after Tanguy Nianzou headed home a pinpoint free kick from Rakitic into the area.
The opener was a wake-up call for Dortmund as Karim Adeyemi pushed forward, but the youngster opted for a cutback instead of unleashing a shot on target with only Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to beat in the 24th minute, reports Xinhua.
Dortmund’s efforts paid off as Edin Terzic’s side eventually restored parity 10 minutes later after Thomas Meunier’s cross into the box allowed Bellingham to slot home the equalizer from a central position.
Bellingham remained in the thick of things as he had the chance to turn the tide before half time, but the England international lacked accuracy from inside the area.
Both sides seemed content with a share of the spoils, hence goalscoring opportunities remained a rare occurrence for the remainder of the second half.
Sevilla had the only chance to snatch victory, but Erik Lamela couldn’t poke home a loose ball following a corner from very close range in the 67th minute.
“We didn’t play well. After we conceded the goal, we responded well and pressed Sevilla onto the back foot to level the score. However, after the break, we allowed too many turnovers on home soil. We played too nervously,” said Dortmund captain Mats Hummels.
Meanwhile, Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa achieved a surprising 2-0 home win against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League.
The win gave Haifa their first points in Group H after three losses, while Juventus remained with three points from their 3-1 win over Haifa in Turin last week.
Around 30,000 fans at the Sammy Ofer Stadium saw a strong opening by the home team.
Juventus’ Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made several saves, but conceded a goal in the seventh minute to a header by midfielder Omer Atzili, after an accurate cross by French defender Pierre Cornud.
Atzili doubled the score in the 42nd minute with a brilliant shot after a pass by Cornud.
Impressive saves by Haifa goalkeeper Josh Cohen, from headers by Dusan Vlahovic and Daniele Rugani in the 45th and 54th minutes respectively, prevented Juventus from returning to the match.
Later in the second half, Juventus controlled the ball but hardly created scoring chances, allowing the home fans to celebrate an important win.
On the next matchday, Maccabi Haifa will play Paris Saint-Germain in France, while Benfica will host Juventus, with both matches to be played on October 25.
–IANS
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