Lewandowski gives Dortmund glimmer of hope
BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund insist they have not given up hope of a Champions League miracle in Tuesday’s quarterfinal, second-leg against Real Madrid, even with the Spaniards holding a 3-0 lead.
Last season’s finalists Dortmund stand on the verge of a Champions League exit as t hey need t o over- t ur n the huge deficit at their Westfalenstadion after last Wednesday’s defeat at Madrid’s Bernabeu.
World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo is set to start after he was forced off with a slight knee problem towards the end of the first leg, having scored Real’s third goal, and was rested for Saturday’s 4-0 win away to Real Sociedad.
The 29-year-old Portugal star trained with the Madrid squad on Sunday and looks set to travel to northern Germany.
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with how his side coped without Ronaldo as goals from Asier Illarramendi, Gareth Bale, Pepe and Alvaro Morata sealed a convincing victory at Sociedad.
LEWANDOWSKI RETURNS To progress, Dortmund must better their stunning 4-1 semifinal, first leg win at home to Real nearly 12 months ago when striker Robert Lewandowski, who joins Bayern Munich next season, scored all four goals.
A similar result would see the Germans bow out on away goals and they picked up a con- fidence boost with a 2-1 comeback win over Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Lewandowski, who was suspended for the first leg, scored Dortmund’s opening goal on Saturday and will be an obvious concern to the Real back four.
Marco Reus, who scored t heir 77th- minute winner against Wolves, said his side need t o re peat Saturday’s impressive second-half display.