Dortmund battle into Champions League quarterfinals

Sevilla 2-2 (4-5 agg.) Borussia Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park
(En-Nesyri 68' pen., 90+6' — Haaland 35', 48')

This game will be remembered for a mad sequence near the start of the second half, but perhaps the real focus should be on the fight Borussia Dortmund revealed on their way to the Champions League quarterfinals.

"It was an awesome fight, an awesome feeling to progress. We deserved it," said Sebastian Kehl, the club's head of professional football.

From Jude Bellingham's constant chat in midfield to Erling Haaland's celebrations and the aggressive body language of both Emre Can and Marco Reus, this was a night when Dortmund unleashed their nasty side.

It was that physicality that got them their first goal too. Against the run of play, Thomas Delaney's shoulder barge set up a move that looked more like the Dortmund people know. Mahmoud Dahoud slipped a perfect vertical pass, Marco Reus made the run and had the vision andErling Haaland was on hand to do what he does best.

After Haaland took his strength to another level entirely, with Sevilla players bouncing off him and the ball once again landing in the net, the game's major talking point began. Instead of the goal being given, referee Cuneyt Cakir awarded Dortmund a penalty for a foul earlier on in the move. Sevilla's keeper saved the penalty and the rebound before celebrating in Haaland's face. The Norwegian had the last laugh though when Cakir ordered a retake after Bono had stepped off the line. Haaland scored at the second time of asking, before reminding Bono who was boss.

Perhaps this Borussia Dortmund team are better suited to the ruthless nature of cup competitions, when they know that one bad moment might spell the end. This is a team that prefers to explode rather than compete over long distances. They are sometimes brilliant, sometimes reckless and totally unpredictable. They are either all in or all out. Tonight, they were the former and that left Sevilla facing the latter.

Haaland the hero

"We were the better team in 3 out of 4 halves. But we were punished by a player that will dominate an era," Sevilla head coach Julen Lopetegui said afterwards.

When Emre Can gave away a penalty with a needless shove — one that Youssef En-Nesyri resoundingly scored — there was more than enough time for Dortmund to crumble as they have before. When En-Nesyri added a header, that fear loomed large. Surely it wasn't going to end in another late goal?

It wasn't. This Dortmund team wasn't going to let it happen. For the first time since 2017, Borussia Dortmund are in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Jude Bellingham was 13 then. Four years later, he showed Sevilla that he is a player beyond his years. The English midfielder was everywhere, throwing himself in front of shots, chasing everything, willing his side to victory.

Dortmund move into March, still in Europe and still in the German Cup. Wherever they finish this season and whatever happens in the summer, there is still a chance this season can end in glory.