Borussia Dortmund earned a 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, thanks to a goal from Dutch striker Donyell Malen against his former club.
PSV, who are unbeaten and leading the Dutch Eredivisie by a wide margin, missed a lot of chances in the first half and now face a tough task in the second leg in Germany.
The pre-match question was which Dortmund would turn up: the team that topped the Champions League ‘Group of Death’ or the team that has been inconsistent in the Bundesliga?
The game started cautiously in a noisy atmosphere in Eindhoven, where the home fans set off fireworks at the start.
After the smoke cleared, the hosts dominated the early stages, with Mexico international winger Hirving Lozano troubling the Dortmund defence on the left.
PSV midfielder Malik Tillman wasted two clear opportunities to score, once shooting wide after a smart pass from veteran Dutch striker Luuk de Jong.
The visitors made PSV pay for their wastefulness, taking the lead against the flow of the game in the 24th minute when Malen fired a deflected shot into the top corner.
Malen had been a goal machine for the Dutch giants, scoring 55 goals in all competitions in just 43 games, and he did not celebrate in front of PSV’s hardcore fans.
The out-of-form Tillman then missed another easy chance, this time with a header right in front of goal.
Then it was Belgian international winger Johan Bakayoko’s turn to miss a shot wide, and the home fans began to worry as they went into the break 1-0 down.
PSV have not lost at home all season and came out strongly in the second half.
They equalised soon.
Tillman made up for his earlier mistakes by earning a penalty in the 56th minute, which De Jong converted coolly past Alexander Meyer.
Dortmund defenders were angry at the penalty decision, claiming that veteran central defender Mats Hummels had touched the ball before fouling Tillman.
The equaliser made the game more open, with both teams having chances, a flick by Dortmund’s Marius Wolf forcing a good save from Walter Benitez in the PSV goal.
With 15 minutes left, Bakayoko dribbled past the Dortmund defence but failed to hit his shot well.
It summed up the night for PSV who will wonder what might have been.
