Tuesday September 18, 2012 Group Stage: Group D Finished Signal Iduna Park

Borussia Dortmund 1 - 0 Ajax

  • Lewandowski 87’

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  1. Champions League - Lewandowski goal sees Dortmund down Ajax at death

    Champions League - Lewandowski goal sees Dortmund down Ajax at death

    Robert Lewandowski was the hero as Borussia Dortmund left it late to take a 1-0 win over Ajax in their Champions League opener. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Borussia Dortmund
    • Ajax
    • 90'+3 It's all over and Robert Lewandowski is the hero as Dortmund leave it late to win 1-0.
    • 90'+2 Perisic hits it with his left foot but it goes straight into the wall.
    • 90'+1 Free kick to Dortmund after Moisander fouls substitute Scheiber.
    • 90' Dortmund still putting pressure on Ajax as we enter the three additional minutes.
    • 89' Sana goes off for Ajax and is replaced by Sulejmani.
    • 89' Dortmund have gotten what they deserved and they only need to hold on for a couple of minutes now to take all three points.
    • 88' Substitution for Dortmund. Schieber replaces Gotze. Leitner comes on for Gundogan.
    • 86' GOAL FOR DORTMUND: Lewandowski finally breaks the deadlock as he profits from some lax defending by Ajax to power a ball from six yards into the back of the Ajax net.
    • 85' Piszczek crosses from the left right onto Lewandowski's head. But the striker hits the ball hopelessely wide.
    • 85' Dortmund still attacking, but without any great interest most of the attacks are ending up in Vermeer's hands in the Ajax goal.
    • 84' The spark seems to have gone from both sides at this stage and, dare I say it, they are happy to settle for a point. It will suit both sides if the spoils are shared in the other game too.
    • 83' Dortmund will face Manchester City in Manchester in the next round of the Champions League while Ajax will host Real Madrid.
    • 82' Ajax have had 54% of possession in this match, but it is Dortmund who have had the greater chances.
    • 81' In the other game in this group the score is Real Madrid 1, Man City 1. Edin Dzeko scores for City but Marcelo cancels that out just eight minutes later.
    • 80' Long ball up from defence is aimed at Lewandowski in the ajax box. The Dortmund front man tries an acrobatic volley but has two defenders to deal with and Ajax reclaim possession.
    • 79' Lasse Schone comes on for Ajax to replace Ryan Babel.
    • 78' Schmelzer crosses to front post. Subotic attacks it with his head but it drifts wide.
    • 76' Corner to Dortmund on the left hand side after a through ball by Perisic is cleared.
    • 75' Schmelzer plays a one-two and charges into the box. He fails to get his shot away.
    • 74' Perisic gets a cross in from the left and it's met by Lewandowski who can't direct his header goalward. Goal kick Ajax.
    • 73' Blaszczykowski comes off and is replaced by Ivan Perisic for Dortmund.
    • 72' Schmelzer charges down the right and his cross is blocked earning a croner for Dortmund.
    • 70' Piszczczek down for Dortmund. Ajax put the ball out and the drop ball by the referee is kicked back to the Dortmund goalkeeper.
    • 69' Ajax are forced to clear after Dortmund raid into their box. They move the ball up the right for Bable who holds possession despite attention from two defenders. Ajax holding possession but not making progress.
    • 68' Counter attack is pressed back and eventually goes for a throw to Ajax on the right wing.
    • 67' Corner from the left for Dortmund is swung in over the penlty spot, but is cleared by Ajax who launch a counter attack.
    • 66' Gundogen floats a ball in the direction of Lewandowski at the other end but Vermeer comes to punch clear. He is down and in need of some treatment. Maybe he just wants to draw his breath. He's been under serious pressure this half.
    • 65' Huge looping ball in from the left from Ajax and Babel hares into the box to try and get on the end but Weidenfeller comes to punch it away.
    • 64' Free out to Ajax. This will ease the pressure a little bit.
    • 63' Lewandowski finds himself free in the Ajax box and smashes a shot in the direction of the goal, but it's cut out.
    • 62' Free kick for Dortmund taken by Marco Reus. Lobs in over everyone and heads for the top corner but there is no way a lob like that was going to beat Vermeer in the Ajax goal.
    • 61' Ricardo Van Rijhn received a yellow card for his tackle on Gotze that led to the penalty.
    • 60' Half an hour to go and we are still all square.
    • 59' That will leave a sour taste in Dortmund mouths should they lose this match. They've had plenty of chances, but seem a bit rusty with their finishing.
    • 57' Save by Vermeer as Hummels tries to slot it low and left. The 'keeper guessed the right way and in fairness the penalty was lacking any power.
    • 56' Penalty to Dortmund. Gotze trips in the box after a tackle from Van Rijhn.
    • 55' Reus whips it in low and it's anybody's ball before Ajax get a foot to it and get it clear.
    • 55' Corner for Dortmund.
    • 53' Hummels ambles through the centre unchallenged and tries to pick out Piszczek, but again Vermeer is alive to the threat and gets down to cut it out.
    • 51' Through ball to Reus (Dortmund). He tries to side foot it into the corner but the Dortmund keeper puts it around the post. Corner is cleared.
    • 50' Foul by Schmeltzer on Sana. Free kick to Ajax in their own half.
    • 49' Dortmund raiding up the left wing, but it's cut out and ends up back in the Ajax half.
    • 48' Lewandowski has a chance from just right of the penalty spot. Ajax defenders are falling all over the place, but he blazes his shot over the bar.
    • 47' Boerrigter crosses a looping ball from the left wing high into the Dortmund box. Bable jumps unchallenged but heads a seemingly simple chance over the bar.
    • 47' Corner to Ajax taken short and Sana's ball back to de Jong is deflected wide for another corner. De Jong has a shot blocked from the corner but it all comes to nothing.
    • 46' Dortmund start quickly again putting the Ajax defence under pressure.
    • 45' Our Italian hairdresser referee gets the second half underway and there are no changes on eithe side.
    • 45' Half time and we are as we started 0-0.
    • 43' Approaching half-time and Ajax are now content to play it around in their own defence.
    • 42' Blaszczykowski gets a cross in from the right to Gotze in the Ajax box. Gotze looks for a penalty but it never was.
    • 41' Subotic plays a long ball into Piszczek but it comes to nothing.
    • 40' The teams are evenly matched at the moment, but they will both be looking for three points in order to get a head start before they meet Manchester City and Real Madrid.
    • 39' Sana again breaking in from the left tries a shot from the edge of the box, but it ricochets off a defender and away from danger.
    • 38' Sana tries to break down the left, but Hummels isn't letting the youngster by and dispossess him.
    • 37' Reus takes free kick and it's too close to the 'keeper, who almost let it fall from his hands!
    • 36' Yellow card to Sana (Ajax) for a fould on Schmeltzer. Free to Dortmund.
    • 35' Boerrigter chases through the middle of the pitch on to a through ball. Weidenfeller races out and slides the ball from his feet outside the box.
    • 34' Chaos in the Ajax defence as Dortmund pile on the pressure. On the third attempt they get it clear.
    • 33' Eriksen tries a through ball for Boerrigter but his marker is there first.
    • 32' Wide ball out to Sana sees the Ajax winger try a cross on the floor. Hummels is in a good position to clear for Dortmund.
    • 31' Schmelzer latches on to a loose ball on the left wing and fires off a shot, but Vermeer knocks it out for a corner. The corner is cleared by Ajax.
    • 29' Long pass from Hummels and Lewandowski is free on the left. Vermeer comes to try and prevent the shot, but it sails over his head and well wide.
    • 28' Babel crosses from the right for Ajax, but the Dortmund defence cuts it out.
    • 27' High ball from the Ajax defence ends up back with Dortmund and they begin to play it around again.
    • 26' Reus sends free to the back post but it looked as if he miskicked it. From the Ajax counter attack Piszczek takes down Boerrigter to stop an Ajax attack. That free comes to nothing.
    • 25' Free to Dortmund on the edge of the D as Ajax are caught in possession.
    • 24' Blind sees a gap in behind the Dortmund back line. His first time pass for Eriksen is a half a second too late though as the Ajax man is deemed to be offside.
    • 23' High ball into the Ajax box from Subotic. Vermeer comes to claim it and starts the Ajax build up again.
    • 22' Poulsen fouls Lewandowski on the halfway line. He was going for the ball, but Lewandowski stays down for a minute.
    • 21' Blind is pushing forward from left back now and is finding some gaps down the wing. Nothing significant yet though.
    • 20' Eriksen takes the ball 20 yards out from the Dortmund goal and tries to play in de Jong. Dortmund hold up and clear.
    • 19' Cross from Dortmund is deemed offside and Ajax can breathe again as another attack is foiled. A lot of the play coming down the Ajax left side now.
    • 17' Some last ditch defending by Dortmund as again Lewandowski and Blaszczykowski link up to try and eek out a shot. Ajax don't look too comfortble when Dortmund are running at them.
    • 16' Counter attack by Dortmund. Reus gets on the ball on the left hand side just outside of the box but can't get his shot away.
    • 15' Gotze thought he had a penalty appeal from that chance and he may well have had as Moisander was pulling his shirt as he tried to get around the defender.
    • 12' Gotze challenges for the ball in the Ajax six yard box, but this time Vermeer is awake to the threat and cuts him off.
    • 11' Babel collects a lose ball at halfway and from the edge of the D lays off a pass to Eriksen who looked like he must score, but Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal deflects the ball for a corner. Corner comes to nothing.
    • 10' Neat passing by Dortmund releases Lewandowski on his own down the left wing. No challenge comes in and he tries to cut it back across the face of goal but there was no one there to attack it. Things still a bit nervy in this first ten minutes.
    • 9' Polsen tries a similar tactic for Ajax and it ends up on the Dortmund left hand side with Babel. It comes to nothing though as the Dortmund defence push him back to the halfway line.
    • 8' Dortmund looking for Reus with a high ball from their own half. Nothing doing though as the Ajax back four will deal with those all day.
    • 7' Boerrigter gets on the ball on the Ajax right hand side but is adjudged to have fouled his marker as he tried to run around him.
    • 6' Boerrigter offside for Ajax in one of their few ventures forward.
    • 5' Scrappy play in the middle of the pitch and Ajax get a head on it and pass it around their own half.
    • 4' Blasycyzkowski looks like a livewire through the centre for Dortmund.. He's been on the end of a few runs but seems to be caught in two minds as to what he wants to do when he gets the ball.
    • 3' Dortmund keeping the pace and pressure high, but Ajax happy to let them have possession and will possibly look to counter-attack.
    • 2' Dortmund attack down the right and a cross flies across the box but there's nobody there to attack it.
    • 1' Quikc start from Dortmund. Blaszcyzykowski gets the ball on the edfe of the box but slips and misses the ball.
    • 0' The champions of Germany kick-off against the champions of Holland both looking to gain first blood in what will be a very difficult Champions League campaign. Ajax line out in traditional red and white with Dortmund in their bright yellow and black.
    • 19.40 With only five minutes to kick-off 'You'll never walk alone' is ringing around the Signal Iduna Park.
    • 19.35 Expect to see a lot of quick ball played on the floor from Dortmund tonight as this side's front men are all lacking a bit in the height department. Coach Jurgen Klopp isn't concerned though as there are no giants in the Ajax defence either.
    • 19.30 Former Danish international Christian Poulsen will start in the centre of midfield and is the only player over 30 in this youthful Ajax line-up. Ryan Babel will get his first start of the season partnering Sana and Boerrigter up front. Ajax will have to do without the services of regulars Nicolai Boilsen, Eyong Enoh and Kolbeinn Sightorsson who are all unavailable due to injury.
    • 19.25 Robert Lewandowski will start as a lone striker for Dortmund but will be backed up by the creativity of Kuba, Mario Gotze and star signing Marcos Reus across the centre of the pitch. Lewandowski scored in that 3-0 win over Leverkusen, meanwhile Reus should be full of running tonight, having only come off the bench for the last 30 minutes of that game. This will be Reus' Champions League debut and he will be eager to prove that he has what it takes to grace this level of competition.
    • 19.20 Both teams are coming into this tie off the back of wins in their respective leagues. Ajax were 2-0 winners at home against RKC Waalwijk, while Dortmund, also at home, say off Bayer Leverkusen on a 3-0 scoreline.
    • 19.15 De Boer is realistic about his ambitions this year and from the sounds of things, he doesn't expect to qualify from this 'Group of Death'. He told reporters yesterday that he and the players see these games as "an opportunity to collect experience."
    • 19.10 Ajax manager Frank de Boer is no stranger to the Dortmund style of play. He was part of the Ajax team that beat Ottmar Hitzfeld's Dortmund side in the 1995/96 Champions League quarter-finals. Ajax went out to Bayern Munich that year.
    • 19.05 Ajax haven't covered themselves in European glory in the recent past either but are a squad for the future. This is the Dutch sides third consecutive Champions League campaign, but they haven't appeared in the last 16 line-up since 2005/06.
    • 19.00 Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp was under no illusions as to the task facing his side in Group D saying, "We have to win this match against Ajax or we are already out again." The stakes will be very high tonight as the other two teams in the group, Manchester City and Real Madrid start as favourites to take the top two spots.
    • 18.55 Last year Dortmund made a return to the top table of European club football after being absent from the Champions League since the 2002/'03 season. It didn't go well for them and after picking up just one win (at home to Olympiakos) they finished bottom of their group and were eliminated at the first hurdle.
    • 18.50 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Weidenfeller, Subotic, Hummels, Piszczek, Schmelzer, Kehl (C), Gündogan, Götze, Reus, Blaszczykowski, Lewandowski... Subs: Langerak, Felipe Santana, Bender, Leitner, Grosskreutz, Perisic, Schleber. /// AJAX: Vermeer, Alderweireld, Moisander, Blind, van Rhijn, Poulsen, Eriksen, de Jong (C), Sana, Boerrigter, Babel... Subs: Cillessen, Veltman, Dijks, Sulemani, Schone, Serero, Lukoki.
    • 18.45 Welcome to our LIVE updates of the Champions League Group D encounter between Borussia Dortmund and AFC Ajax.

  • Summary

    • 86' GOAL FOR DORTMUND: Lewandowski finally breaks the deadlock as he profits from some lax defending by Ajax to power a ball from six yards into the back of the Ajax net.
    • 18.50 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Weidenfeller, Subotic, Hummels, Piszczek, Schmelzer, Kehl (C), Gündogan, Götze, Reus, Blaszczykowski, Lewandowski... Subs: Langerak, Felipe Santana, Bender, Leitner, Grosskreutz, Perisic, Schleber. /// AJAX: Vermeer, Alderweireld, Moisander, Blind, van Rhijn, Poulsen, Eriksen, de Jong (C), Sana, Boerrigter, Babel... Subs: Cillessen, Veltman, Dijks, Sulemani, Schone, Serero, Lukoki.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Borussia Dortmund

    Manager: Jürgen Klopp

  • Ajax

    Manager: Frank De Boer

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.5 -
      Defenders
      5.6 -
      4.6 7
      5.3 6
      5.3 7
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out89′ 5.5 -
      5.3 6
      Substitution Out73′ 6.2 -
      Substitution Out88′ 6.7 8
      6.7 8
      Strikers
      Goal 6.8 9
      Subs
      Substitution In73′ 4.9 6
      Substitution In88′ 5.6 5
      Substitution In89′ 6.4 5
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.6 8
      Defenders
      Yellow Card 5.1 6
      5.7 -
      6.1 6
      5.7 7
      Midfielders
      6.4 7
      5 6
      5.7 8
      Strikers
      Yellow Card Substitution Out89′ 4.1 7
      4.7 8
      Substitution Out79′ 4.6 8
      Subs
      Substitution In79′ 7 5
      Substitution In89′ 6 5

Comment 1 - 8 of 8

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  1. I think Dortmnd can beat Ajax again they were much­ better team.The game was good from Dortmund,theyed­ played fast,created many chances and made the match­ excited to watch but when Ajax played they made the­ game boring.The chances they had were mistakes from­ Dortmund defence.They will have confidence when they­ play man city with the 3 points.

    From Lydia, on Wed 19 Sep 2:49

  2. Well done boys, we've beaten Olympiakos, you've­ beaten Ajax, now just up to Bayern to make it 3 out of­ 3!

    From Lufti, on Tue 18 Sep 21:40

  3. C'mon Ajax score FFS

    From Mr Burns, on Tue 18 Sep 21:14

  4. Dortmund have such a good team! Ajax are no mugs­ either. Tough group!

    From Jack Ingrouille, on Tue 18 Sep 20:39

  5. Should be a good game; skilled players on both teams

    From BeatSteaks, on Tue 18 Sep 19:52

  6. Go Dortmund ;)

    From Niki, on Tue 18 Sep 19:15

  7. C'mon Borussia! C'mon Polish trio!

    From Krzysztof, on Tue 18 Sep 14:04

  8. Heja Heja BVB!! :D

    From buster, on Mon 17 Sep 22:03
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