After yesterday’s frightening scenes, the rescheduled quarter-final first-leg clash between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco on Wednesday night proved to be a thrilling encounter.
Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel admitted he would’ve liked more time to prepare his players for the quickly rearranged game and the Bundesliga giants started slowly against a vibant Monaco side.
Teen sensation Kylian Mbappe provided the cutting edge for Monaco’s energetic start by netting on 19 minutes, diverting in Thomas Lemar’s centre.
A dreadful Sven Bender own-goal just after the half-hour mark made it 2-0 to the visitors as Dortmund struggled to match their opponents.
After the break, Dortmund roused themselves and got one back, courtesy of French winger Ousmane Dembele who fired home after an initial flick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s.
Not surprisingly, both attack-minded sides continued to look for more goals, with Monaco restoring their two-goal advantage on 79 minutes, after Mbappe pounced on a poor pass from Lukasz Piszczek before producing a classy curling finish.
There was still one more goal in the entertaining game, and it came for the hosts, with ex-Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa showing wonderful skill before slotting home.
With Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco always prone to conceding and Dortmund full of attacking power, this tie is by no means over. The return leg at the Stade Louis II should be a cracker.