Donyell Malen Borussia Dortmund's match-winner against Sporting Lisbon
Jude Bellingham set up Donyell Malen for the only goal as Borussia Dortmund got the better of Sporting Lisbon in their second group fixture of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League campaign.
Already without injured pair Erling Haaland and Gio Reyna, Dortmund lost Mahmoud Dahoud to a muscular problem inside the opening six minutes. Despite the early set-back, the Black-Yellows soon settled into their stride as Malen headed a Thorgan Hazard cross against the upright from an offside position. Marco Reus twice made Adan in the Sporting goal work, before himself having an effort chalked off for offside. The breakthrough eventually arrived late in the half when Bellingham slipped a fabulous through-ball into the feet of Malen, who took it in his stride and fired confidently into the far corner.
Dortmund had the ball in the net once more at the start of the second half, but Reus was adjudged to have moved a fraction too early to collect another precision pass from Bellingham. BVB were in complete control as Raphael Guerreiro drove wide with a deflection and Julian Brandt shot over. Malen glanced in a Reus cross with 16 minutes of normal time remaining, only for the linesman’s flag to deny him his second of a one-sided contest. Sporting failed to test Gregor Kobel in the closing stages as Dortmund recorded their second straight Champions League win to move level on maximum points with upcoming Group C opponents Ajax.
Match stats
Malen opened his Dortmund account after 500 goalless minutes.
Bellingham is the youngest player to make 10 Champions League starts, aged 18 years and 91 days.
Dortmund boast a perfect home record against Portuguese visitors in UEFA competition, with seven wins from seven matches, 18 goals scored and only two conceded.
BVB have only failed to score once in 10 competitive matches so far this season.
An unsued substitute against Lisbon, 16-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko could yet break the record for the Champions League's youngest goalscorer.
Sporting have suffered 13 defeats in their 14 previous games away to German clubs.
Dortmund have a goal chalked off for the third time! Reus whips a ball over from the left, but Malen had just strayed before connecting with the cross and heading home. Sporting have clearly been working on stepping up in unison.
71'
FRESH LEGS
Marius Wolf enters the fray on the Dortmund right for his third outing of the new season. He replaces Hazard, who put himself about pretty effectively in the final third.
Dortmund win back possession in their own half and break at speed. Malen leads the charge, before laying the ball off for Hazard. Guerreiro arrives from deep to collect, but his shot is deflected wide. Brandt connects with the ensuing cross, but balloons over from the edge of the D.
Utterly professional stuff from Dortmund. They're dictating the tempo of the contest, barely allowing Sporting a sniff. A second goal will surely put the Portuguese champions to bed.
48'
DISALLOWED GOAL!
Bellingham splits the Sporting defence once more. Reus is in behind, with Malen eating up the ground to his left. The BVB captain coolly slots past Adan, but the linesman's flag goes up for offside.
Kick-off!
Half-time
42'
BOOKINGS
Bellingham catches Porro very late, and can have no complaints. Nunes reacts overzealously, and joins the BVB teen in the referee's little black book.
This one sticks! Brandt finds Bellingham, who slips a stunning pass into the feet of Malen. The Dutchman takes it in his stride in the box, before firing across the keeper. That's his first Dortmund goal - what a finish!
Dortmund play cat and mouse with Sporting, shifting the ball from right to left. Brandt slips through Reus, who squares to Malen for an easy finish - but it's chalked off for offside against the skipper.
30'
OVER FROM COATES!
Dortmund fail to deal with a corner from the left. The bouncing ball causes them real bother, before Coates, with his back to goal, takes on an acrobatic effort that whistles over.
28'
THE BELGIAN BECKHAM
Dortmund come again with Brandt. He feeds Thomas Meunier, recently dubbed "the Belgian Beckham" by teammate Bellingham. The cross is one Golden Balls would have been proud of, but Malen moves a fraction too early and misconnects in any case.
18'
REUS THREAT
Twice Reus tests Adan. First he's beaten to a long ball over the top by the Sporting stopper. Moments later, his shot from Hazard's cut-back takes a fortuitous deflection on its way into the keeper's arms.
14'
POST!
Hazard hangs up a cross from the right. Bellingham stoops to head, but lets it run for Malen. The Dutchman's header strikes the upright, but the linesman had already raised his flag. Both players were offside.
Reis flashes an effort wide, before Paulinho has one blocked. BVB need to get tighter to their man in their own half.
6'
DAHOUD INJURED
Mahomoud Dahoud pulls up lame. He goes straight down the tunnel. Julian Brandt is poised to come on...
1'
KIT WATCH
Dortmund are in more of a neon yellow, in homage to their 1996/97 Champions League-winning threads. The club badge has also returned to their change strip, following fan complaints against Puma's badgeless effort. Sporting are in their tradtional green-and-white number.
Kick-off!
TEAMS ARE OUT
The Champions League anthem blares out as the teams line up ahead of kick-off. Sporting have a battle on silencing the home fans.
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When Gerry Marsden pulled 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' out of his Merseybeat bag of hits in 1963, the Gerry and the Pacemakers frontman was probably looking no further than a top-ten entry in the UK charts. Little did he know the football masses at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park would later adopt the 1960s pop classic as their own. Stunning rendition of the anthemic football hit by the fans in attendance just now.
BLACK-YELLOW ARMY
After almost two years without fans in attendance for European nights, Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park welcomes 25,000 spectators for this one.
4:33
HEY, JUDE!
Jude Bellingham is the youngest player to score in two consecutive Champions League games, beating Kylian Mbappe’s previous record by seven days. The 18-year-old midfielder makes his 56th competitive appearance tonight, and 12th in the Champions League. Indeed, at 18 years and 91 days, he's the youngest ever to reach 10 starts in the competition. Find out more about the box-to-box supremo, and two of the Bundesliga's other teen titans by clicking play on the video above.
HISTORY FAVOURS DORTMUND
Dortmund boast a perfect home record against Portuguese visitors in UEFA competition, with six wins from six matches, 17 goals scored and only two conceded. Sporting have lost seven of their last eight away matches in the Champions League group stage, and suffered 12 defeats in their 13 previous games away to German clubs, the exception being a goalless draw at Bayern Munich in the 2006/07 groups.
NO HAALAND
Erling Haaland misses out for Dortmund. Last season's 10-goal Champions League top scorer is still carrying a muscular problem that kept him out of BVB's 1-0 loss to Gladbach on Saturday. Captain Marco Reus returns, though, as Marco Rose reverts to his preferred four-man defence. Thorgan Hazard partners Donyell Malen in attack, with Youssoufa Moukoko dropping to the bench.
