MX23RW : Friday, March 29 05:17:42| >> :120:18541:18541:

Half-Time Report: Borussia Dortmund maintain healthy lead over Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund hold Real Madrid to a goalless first half, meaning that their 4-1 aggregate lead from the first leg is intact.

Borussia Dortmund remain 4-1 ahead on aggregate after holding Real Madrid to a goalless scoreline in the opening half of their Champions League semi-final second leg this evening.

Dortmund's Lukasz Piszczek and Real's Xabi Alonso battle for the ball on April 30, 2013© AP Photos

The home fans made it a very noisy atmosphere in the Spanish capital and they created a host of chances in the first quarter of an hour.

First Gonzalo Higuain was found with an eye-of-the-needle pass by Mesut Ozil but he couldn't beat Roman Weidenfeller from 12 yards. Then it was Cristiano Ronaldo's chance to squander an opening, volleying straight at the Dortmund keeper's chest from only a few yards.

Ozil himself wasted the best opportunity of the early exchanges after being played in with no-one around him and just Weidenfeller to beat. He tried to shape for the far corner and deceive Weidenfeller, but dragged his effort wide of the near post.

At the other end, four-goal hero from the first leg Robert Lewandowski forced Diego Lopez into a couple of simple saves, but it was all Madrid.

As the white shirts continued to pile forward in search of an early goal needed to spark a comeback, Dortmund continued to look dangerous on the counter with the pace of Marco Reus and Lewandowski. The German side did lose one of their stars early on when Mario Gotze was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring strain.

It remained an end-to-end affair and the next chance fell to Angel di Maria, who struck his shot from the edge of the box against his own teammate and Argentine compatriot Higuain.

As the half entered its final 15 minutes, the yellow-and-black shirts of Dortmund began to see more of the ball, calming the Madrid storm of the early stages.

A 3-0 win for the hosts will guarantee them a place in next month's final.

ID:82197: cacheID:82197:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4045:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his third goal against Real Madrid on April 24, 2013
Read Next:
Match Analysis: Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Real Madrid
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid29226164204472
2Barcelona29197360342664
3GironaGirona29195559342562
4Athletic Bilbao29168550262456
5Atletico MadridAtletico29174854342055
6Real Sociedad291210742311146
7Real BetisBetis29101273433142
8Valencia28117103232040
9Villarreal29108114751-438
10Getafe2991193742-538
11Las PalmasLas Palmas29107122932-337
12Osasuna29106133343-1036
13AlavesAlaves2988132635-932
14Mallorca29612112535-1030
15Rayo Vallecano29611122538-1329
16Sevilla29610133644-828
17Celta Vigo2969143244-1227
18CadizCadiz29313132040-2022
19Granada2828183058-2814
20Almeria29110182857-2913


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!