Lille Draw at Dortmund in Champions League Last-16 First Leg

Hakon Haraldsson’s second-half equalizer secured a 1-1 draw for Lille against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. The result leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in France on Wednesday, March 12th.

Dortmund, last season’s runners-up, dominated the first half and took the lead in the 22nd minute through a moment of brilliance from Karim Adeyemi. A corner kick was poorly cleared by Lille defender Alexsandro Ribeiro, and the ball fell to Adeyemi, who unleashed a sublime half-volley from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.

Dortmund thought they had doubled their lead before halftime when Pascal Gross scored from another corner, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Lille’s best chance of the first half fell to Thomas Meunier, who exchanged passes with Haraldsson before firing into the side-netting.

The French side, however, were much improved after the break. Jonathan David who is soon to be out of contract, was more involved. His effort was blocked by Daniel Svensson in the box. David played a crucial role in the equalizer, providing a through ball for Haraldsson, who poked the ball past Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel while off-balance.

Lille substitute Andre Gomes was fortunate to escape a red card for a late challenge that forced Svensson off with an injury.

Lille Eye Historic Quarter-Final Berth

Lille, who have never reached the Champions League quarter-finals, will be encouraged by their second-half performance and the away goal. The draw represents a significant improvement from their first-half display, where they struggled to contain Dortmund’s attacking threat. Their improved performance involved a better link-up between goal scorer Haraldsson, and David.

Lille will be confident heading into the return leg at the Stade Pierre-Mauroyagainst Dortmund, where they have an impressive home record in Europe this season, scoring 11 goals in four games and remaining unbeaten, despite visits from Real Madrid, Juventus, Sturm Graz, and Feyenoord. The result gives Bruno Genesio’s side a strong platform to potentially make history.