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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.

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Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring his third goal against Real Madrid on April 24, 2013
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid32256170224881
2Barcelona32217464372770
3GironaGirona32215667402768
4Atletico MadridAtletico32194959382161
5Athletic Bilbao321610652302258
6Real Sociedad321312746341251
7Real BetisBetis32121284038248
8Valencia32138113534147
9Villarreal32119125155-442
10Getafe32913103844-640
11Osasuna32116153746-939
12Sevilla32910134145-437
13Las PalmasLas Palmas32107153039-937
14AlavesAlaves3298152838-1035
15Rayo Vallecano32713122739-1234
16Celta Vigo32710153747-1031
17Mallorca32613132638-1231
18CadizCadiz32413152245-2325
19Granada3239203361-2818
20Almeria32111203164-3314


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