Borussia Dortmund 4 Real Madrid 1
Lewandowski 8 Ronaldo 43 Lewandowski 49 Lewandowski 55 Lewandowski 66 (pen)
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At last!
I\’ve finally seen what I wanted to see.
Before last season started I researched Jurgen Klopp and wrote some stuff on ANR about his high-energy attacking game, the appetite of his team, their collective running power.
But Dortmund were rubbish against Arsenal and finished bottom of their Group.
What I saw was not what I\’d read about and the first campaign by Klopp\’s champions was a big flopp.
Disappointed, I put it down to First Season Syndrome.
I\’d expected something new, something different, something exciting.
But now, 18 months later, Dortmund have delivered by smashing Real Madrid 4-1 with Robert Lewandowski, their astute Polish centre forward, scoring all four goals.
This season Dortmund are the only unbeaten team in the Champions League and the Pole has so far scored 10 goals from 18 shots on target.
After 55 minutes, when Dortmund were already winning 2-1., the ball went low across the box towards Lewandowski and I shouted, “Fucking hell!â€
Although it was an alarming situation, I didn\’t think it would be a goal- I thought it would be a block and a scramble.
But Lewandowski demonstrated terrific spatial awareness when he dragged the ball to his right, away from Varane, and blasted it high inside the post for 3-1.
Beautiful minimalism: first goal, one touch.
Second goal, two touches.
This third goal, he took three touches because he had to take three touches
With that superb finish, Lewandowski become the first player to score a hat-trick against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Mario Gotze\’s delivery for the first goal was superb and Lewandowski had connected with a stretching volley that made it 1-0.
In a massive game like this, an early goal gets the stadium rocking.
I\’d backed BTS, so when Max Hummels mishit a back-pass, and Higuain set up a Ronaldo tap-in, I won my bet in 43 minutes.
1-1 at half-time.
In 49, Lewandowski got the ball from Reus and knew he was onside, so he just jabbed it between the keeper and the post.
He didn\’t look at the linesman because he knew he was onside.
Five minutes later he made it 3-1.
By 62, Dortmund had chalked up 9 attempts and 7 on target.
Then Xabi Alonso panicked and ran into the back of Marco Reus and a penalty was given and Lewandowski smashed it straight down the middle for 4-1.
After that it was just substitutions and a Varane chance in 94 when he hit a left-foot shot just past the post.
On Tuesday we saw Bayern score four against Barcelona and on Wednesday we saw Dortmund score four against Real Madrid.
Dortmund\’s goals were better. And all of them were scored by one player.
This was Lewandowski\’s night.
In 456 European games, no footballer has ever scored four goals against Real Madrid.
When the Special One goes to Germany, he\’s not so special.
After six visits to German clubs in the Champions League, Jose Mourinho has six losses.
This was the heaviest defeat in the manager\’s 106 CL games.
But Mourinho says, “Of course we can turn it round.â€
Score in Group game: Real Madrid 2 Borussia Dortmund 2.
Klopp\’s heroes won that Group and maybe they were trying to tell us something.
I love April because it makes the stuttering, sprawling, confusing story of a football season into something tidy and almost final. April shapes and resolves, almost.
The season is almost wrapped up.
It\’s simple from now on :three more games and maybe three more bets. And that\’s it.
My season will be over and you won\’t believe how glad I am about that.
In this season, more than any other, it\’s my readers who have got me this far.
Thank you.