Dortmund digs deep to beat Atlético 4-2 and reach Champions League semifinals with 5-4 aggregate win

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Marcel Sabitzer scored late and set up two goals to send Borussia Dortmund into the Champions League semifinals with a helter-skelter 4-2 win over Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.

After losing the first leg of their quarterfinal 2-1 in Madrid, Dortmund had to come from behind twice over two legs to advance 5-4 on aggregate.

Julian Brandt opened the scoring to level the tie before Sabitzer set up Ian Maatsen to give Dortmund a 2-0 lead on the night.

Atlético coach Diego Simeone responded with three changes at the break and they all paid off. A Mats Hummels own goal and goal from substitute Joaquín Correa put the Spanish side back in front on aggregate.

Then Sabitzer set up Niclas Füllkrug in the 71st minute for the Germany forward’s first goal after nine scoreless games, and Sabitzer scored himself three minutes later to send Dortmund into the last four.

“That was a rollercoaster, a really great evening,” Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said. “It’s not always like that for Borussia Dortmund. The last time we were in the semifinals was in 2013. This is a great day for all Borussen.”

Dortmund will face Paris Saint-Germain again in the semifinals. PSG progressed to the final four with a 4-1 win at Barcelona. The teams played already this season with Dortmund losing 2-0 in Paris in their opening group match, then drawing 1-1 in their final game as Dortmund topped Group F.

The final will be played June 1 in London, where Dortmund lost the 2013 final 2-1 to bitter rival Bayern Munich.

Tuesday's win stretched Dortmund's unbeaten run at home in the Champions League to 10 games.

"We were close to tying the game, but they were superior, and when a team is superior they should be congratulated,” Simeone said.

Atlético needed goalkeeper Jan Oblak at his best. He denied Brandt, then Karim Adeyemi, before Brandt finally made the breakthrough in the 34th, firing a powerful shot in off Oblak’s leg from a difficult angle after eluding former teammate Axel Witsel.

Sabitzer then combined with Maatsen, who surged past two defenders and fired the ball inside the far post in the 39th. It was the Dutch defender’s first Champions League goal.

But Atlético only needed four minutes after the break to level the tie when Hummels’ attempted clearance of Mario Hermoso’s header ended in his own net.

Correa should have scored shortly afterward when he nudged the ball wide. Simeone — dressed sharply in a black suit — flopped to the ground in frustration.

Correa made no mistake in the 64th when he fired in a rebound after his first attempt was blocked.

It put the visitors back in front, but Sabitzer was involved in both goals as Dortmund struck twice in three minutes to send the home fans wild.

“Such nights are special, this Champions League season is special,” Brandt said. “To see all these happy faces here in the stadium is pure happiness.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Dortmund's Niclas Fuellkrug celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second-leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer, right, celebrates his side's 4th goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's Niclas Fuellkrug celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second-leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP)

Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer, right, celebrates his side's 4th goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer, right, celebrates his side's 4th goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer, right, celebrates his side's 4th goal during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, April 16, 2024(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

U.S. team and Gotham FC defender Kelley O'Hara announced Thursday that she is retiring from soccer at the end of the National Women's Soccer League season.

O'Hara, 35, is a two-time Women's World Cup winner, an Olympic gold medalist and a two-time National Women's Soccer League title winner.

She made her announcement on the Just Women's Sports platform, where she has hosted a popular players' podcast.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was 4 years old, and it’s been an absolute joy," she said. “But as they say, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.’ And I know there will be a lot of tears by me and probably some of y’all, but I hope there are more smiles.”

O'Hara, who was a free-agent signing by Gotham in 2023, has played in the NWSL for 11 seasons. Gotham won the NWSL title last season. Before that, she played for the Washington Spirit, which won the league championship in 2021.

In 160 appearances with the national team, O'Hara has played in four total World Cups and three Olympics. She is one of just four U.S. players to be selected for four World Cup squads.

At the 2015 World Cup, she came off the bench to score in the 84th minute, sealing a 2-0 semifinal victory over Germany. The United States went on to win the tournament with a 5-2 win over Japan.

She won a gold medal in the London Olympics and a bronze in the Tokyo Games.

“It has been one of the greatest joys to represent my country and to wear the U.S. Soccer crest,” O’Hara said in a U.S. Soccer statement. “As I close this chapter of my life, I am filled with gratitude. Looking back on my career I am so thankful for all the things I was able to accomplish but most importantly the people I was able to accomplish them with.”

Recently dogged by injuries, O'Hara's last match with the national team came at the World Cup last summer.

A Georgia native, O'Hara played at Stanford and won the 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy as the top college player her senior season.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - United States' Kelley O'Hara, left, and Vietnam's Hai Yen Pham vie for the ball during the Women's World Cup Group E soccer match at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, July 22, 2023. United States national team and NJ/NT Gotham FC player O'Hara announced Thursday, May 2, 2024, that she is retiring from soccer at the end of the National Women's Soccer League season. (AP Photo/Andrew Cornaga, File)

FILE - NJ/NY Gotham FC defender Kelley O'Hara looks on during an NWSL soccer match against the Portland Thorns FC, March 24, 2024, in Portland, Ore. United States national team and Gotham player O'Hara announced Thursday, May 2, 2024, that she is retiring from soccer at the end of the National Women's Soccer League season. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman, File)