Karim Adeyemi scored the only goal of the match as Borussia Dortmund recorded a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League affair on Wednesday night.
The 21-year-old netted the game's decisive goal in the 63rd minute, meaning that BVB will take a slender advantage into the second leg of their clash with Graham Potter's side, which will take place at Stamford Bridge on March 7.
Chelsea secured their spot in the knockout round of the Champions League by topping Group E ahead of AC Milan, while Dortmund finished second behind Manchester City in Group G.
Potter's side had the ball in the back of the Dortmund net in the 16th minute from a Reece James free kick, but Thiago Silva had guided it home with his arm, which saw the goal disallowed and a yellow card issued to the experienced centre-back.
Dortmund had a big opportunity in the 18th minute when BVB captain Jude Bellingham found Marius Wolf, who raced clear of Ben Chilwell, but the defender could only slice wide of the target.
Sebastien Haller then had a half-chance for the home side in the 27th minute following smart work from Julian Brandt, but the striker fired into the side-netting, with Chelsea coming under pressure in Germany.
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The Blues had a golden opportunity of their own in the 31st minute when Joao Felix found himself in a dangerous area after combining with Hakim Ziyech, but the on-loan Atletico Madrid forward fired over the crossbar under little pressure.
Brandt was next to try his luck for BVB in the 34th minute, with the forward firing over the crossbar from the edge of the box, before Adeyemi missed the target with a drive two minutes later.
The best chance of the first half came for Chelsea in the 39th minute, with Kai Havertz working the ball into Felix, who was through on goal, but the Portuguese crashed his effort against the crossbar.
Wolf missed the target with a first-time strike in the final opportunity of the first period, with the two teams heading down the tunnel level at 0-0 despite a lively half of action.
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a smart save to keep out a James effort in the 54th minute before Brandt saw his effort denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga down the other end.
Chelsea had two half-chances just past the hour, with Enzo Fernandez and James missing the target, before BVB made the breakthrough in the 63rd minute.
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Adeyemi's pace took him inside the Chelsea half, past Fernandez, and eventually into the penalty box, with the forward rounding the onrushing Kepa before finishing into the back of the net.
Kalidou Koulibaly came close to levelling the scores in the 78th minute when he struck a powerful effort towards goal, which Kobel failed to deal with, but Emre Can was on hand to make a brilliant goal-line clearance.
The match was frantic in the period that followed, with both teams looking dangerous in the final third, and Chelsea had a shout for a penalty in the 82nd minute when Niklas Sule challenged Havertz inside the box, but the referee was not interested.
Kobel then kept out a drive from Felix in the 84th minute, before Ziyech came close with two attempts, with Chelsea desperately looking to level the scores in Germany.
Dortmund continued to drop deeper and deeper as the match headed for its final moments, but the Bundesliga giants were able to close out the final minutes to secure a 1-0 win, with Kobel making a smart save in the final stages to keep out a strike from Fernandez.
Next up for Chelsea is a clash with struggling Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, while Dortmund will be looking to make it six Bundesliga wins in a row when they host Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
Matt Law
