Dortmund thwart Lazio to secure Champions League knockout berth
Borussia Dortmund secured a place in the Champions League knockout stage with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Lazio on Wednesday - but lost captain Mats Hummels to a worrying foot injury.
Hummels suffered the knock toward the end of the match after colliding with Lazio striker Ciro Immobile.
As Lazio pushed the win, Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki made a pair of spectacular diving saves to preserve the all-important point.
With 10 points from five matches, BVB can't finish lower than second in Group F thanks to their superior head-to-head record over third-placed Club Brugge. First place, however, is still up for grabs heading into the final round of the group stage next week.
# | Team | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
2 | Lazio | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
3 | Club Brugge | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
4 | Zenit St. Petersburg | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Immobile's penalty in the 67th minute canceled out Raphael Guerreiro's opener at the end of the first half, and the Italian striker nearly scored a late winner when he lashed a shot that was pushed aside for a corner kick. Burki came up big again in the 94th minute, flying to his far left side to deny Andreas Pereira's angled free-kick.
Dortmund must now wait for an update on Hummels' condition. The 31-year-old was seen limping on the sideline with his left foot taped up.
Hours earlier, BVB star Erling Haaland was ruled out with a hamstring injury. He's reportedly set to miss the rest of the calendar year.
HEADLINES
- Matthaus: Liverpool 'not the right option' for Alonso
- France beatable, Germany resurgent, and other Euro 2024 storylines
- Bayern's Kane training again but Neuer doubtful for Dortmund match
- Kane to return to London for preseason friendly vs. Tottenham
- Euro 2024 field complete as Ukraine, Georgia get emotional playoff wins