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Sancho's early goal set Dortmund on their way to victory. Moritz Müller/Alamy Live News

Sancho helps Dortmund past PSV; Atletico comeback ends in shootout win over Inter

Sancho and Reus fired Dortmund into the last eight for the first time since 2021, while Atletico came from 2-0 down on aggregate to beat Inter.

LAST UPDATE | 13 Mar

TNT Sports / YouTube

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 PSV Eindhoven

(Borussia Dortmund won 3-1 on aggregate)

JADON SANCHO’S THIRD-MINUTE goal and Marco Reus’s late strike sent Borussia Dortmund through to the Champions League last eight with victory over PSV Eindhoven.

Level at 1-1 after the last-16 first leg in the Netherlands, Sancho wasted no time in putting Dortmund ahead at the Westfalenstadion with a low shot from outside the area — his first Champions League goal since November 2021.

Dortmund were shaky despite the early lead and needed a fair share of luck and some poor PSV finishing to progress, with Hirving Lozano’s 53rd-minute effort hitting the post.

PSV pushed forwards in stoppage time looking for an equaliser but instead gave away another goal, as Isaac Babadi’s unfortunate slip allowed Reus to seal the win.

The 1997 winners did enough against an outclassed PSV but will face stiffer challenges as they return to the quarter-final draw, to be held on Friday, for the first time since 2021.

TNT Sports / YouTube

Atletico Madrid 2-1 Inter

(2-2 aggregate after extra time; Atletico Madrid won 3-2 on penalties)

ATLETICO MADRID BOUNCED back from two goals down on aggregate against Inter to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a thrilling 3-2 penalty shoot-out triumph on Wednesday.

Trailing by a single goal after last month’s first leg, Atletico looked dead and buried when Federico Dimarco pushed home Inter’s opener at the Estadio Metropolitano.

But Antoine Griezmann immediately pulled the hosts level on the night and three minutes before the end of the regulation 90 minutes substitute Memphis Depay took the tie to extra time with a fine low finish.

That set up the decisive shoot-out which ended with Inter missing three of their five penalties, star striker Lautaro Martinez handing passage to the last eight to Atletico when he booted his spot-kick way off target.

The two teams could barely have come into Wednesday’s match in more contrasting form as Inter had won 13 matches on the bounce since the start of 2024 while Atletico had won only one of their last five.

However it was an even and exciting contest in the Spanish capital in which Atletico pushed hard for the win and both sides created a hatful of opportunities.

Depay smashed a powerful effort off the woodwork moments before his strike took the two teams to an additional 30 minutes while Rodrigo Riquelme wasted a glorious chance to snatch the tie for Atletico without the need for extra-time.

Inter meanwhile were left ruing two great chances on the break as Atletico pushed for their second, both Marcus Thuram and Nicolo Barella finishing poorly with chances to seal the tie.

– © AFP 2024

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