Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved Marco Reus’ penalty as Barcelona held Borussia Dortmund to a goalless draw in their Champions League opener.
The Germany international also denied Reus with a smart double save as Dortmund dominated the second half.
Julian Brandt did beat Ter Stegen late on but his effort hit the bar.
Barcelona gave a Champions League debut to 16-year-old Ansu Fati but created little, despite Lionel Messi’s first appearance of the season off the bench.
Signal Iduna Park is one of the most atmospheric stadiums in Europe and the Dortmund fans, complete with their famous ‘Yellow Wall’, gave the players a raucous welcome befitting of a Champions League final rather than a group game.
That noise only increased as the game wore on, as a vibrant and dynamic Dortmund side became increasingly dominant – but they will rue a man-of-the-match display by Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen.
Jadon Sancho, who scored his first goals for England during the international break, again formed part of a trio alongside Reus and Thorgan Hazard just behind lone striker Paco Alcacer, who has scored in every game for club and country this season.
Hazard created the best chance of the first half when he went on a mazy run from the left before playing in Reus, whose low effort was well blocked by the impressive Ter Stegen.
Twelve minutes into the second period, Sancho won Dortmund a penalty when Nelson Semedo trod on his foot as the 19-year-old turned smartly near the byeline.
Reus got good contact on his spot-kick, but Ter Stegen dived full stretch to his left to palm the ball away before calmly claiming the rebound as the ball bounced near the goalline.
Lucien Favre’s side continued to pour forward, with Reus and Alcacer wasting good opportunities, but they could not find their way past an inspired Ter Stegen.
A draw against the five-time European champions is not normally considered a poor result, but the reaction of the Dortmund players at the final whistle suggests they saw this an opportunity missed.
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Frank Lampard’s first game as a manager in the tournament he won as a player with Chelsea in 2012 turned into a night of frustration as Valencia took advantage of slack marking at a free-kick for Rodrigo to score the winner on 74 minutes.
Chelsea, who lost in-form youngster Mason Mount to injury early on, had the chance to rescue a point when referee Cuneyt Cakir awarded a penalty for handball after consulting VAR when Daniel Wass blocked Fikayo Tomori’s header. read more
Source – BBC
