Borussia Dortmund had no particular problems eliminating Sporting and qualifying for the Champions League round of 16, sportal.bg reported.
The second leg of the tournament's play-offs ended 0-0 at "Signal Iduna Park", but the Germans had a serious lead after winning the first leg 3-0. Dortmund will face Aston Villa or Lille in the round of 16, with the draw taking place on Friday.
Niko Kovac's team dominated the second leg as well. Borussia played a strong second half. Seru Girassi missed a penalty in the 58th minute, and substitute Giovanni Reina hit the post. The visitors' goalkeeper Rui Silva distinguished himself with several excellent saves.
Despite having to erase a serious deficit, Sporting started the match cautiously and the hosts were the more active team. Borussia held the initiative, but acted calmly and looked for gaps in the opponent's defense. A shot from distance by Sabitzer went wide. After that, the visitors took the game for a while, but this not only did not create chances for Kobel, but also opened up more space for Dortmund's attacks.
The first real goal danger came in the 27th minute. Sabitzer fired a good shot from distance, and the visitors' goalkeeper Rui Silva responded with an excellent save. More attacks by Borussia followed, but there were no dangerous situations. A shot by Girassi did not trouble the goalkeeper. The Portuguese defense was doing well, but the team was unable to organize anything in the forward positions.
Borussia started the second half more aggressively and pressed the opponent. Rui Silva continued to perform. The goalkeeper did a great job with a long-range shot by Adeyemi. The hosts organized several more good attacks and came to a great opportunity to take the lead in the 58th minute. Adeyemi was brought behind the defense with a wonderful pass and the goalkeeper brought him down, which led to a penalty. However, Girassi failed to convert from the penalty spot, and Silva distinguished himself with another save.
A short impulse in Sporting's game followed and a shot by Brito, who entered after the break, which went close to the goal. Dortmund quickly regained the initiative and created new chances. Adeyemi shot wide in the 68th minute, and in the next attack by the hosts, Giovanni Reina hit the post. The American entered the field seconds before. He was brought out alone against the goalkeeper and shot into the near corner, but the ball hit the post. Until the end, Borussia continued to control the events on the pitch, not letting the opponent even think about threatening their goal.