Agonizing defeat for Malaga's Portuguese trio
Soccer can be a cruel sport, from the sweet taste of victory to agonizing defeat it can be a whirlwind at times. Yesterday's battle between Borussia Dortmund and Malaga proved to be a great example of that as a Champions League semi-final spot was snatched from Malaga at the death in the cruelest of fashions.
Duda making an impact
A stellar effort by Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero kept Dortmund dormant in the first leg of the fixture and having not allowed an away goal and grinding out a 0-0 result, everything was still to play for in Germany. An early first half goal by Joaquin gave Malaga a dream start with Portuguese winger Duda who served as team captain proving dangerous from set pieces and nearly finding the head of defender Martin Demichelis on several crosses.With pressure mounting, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski's goal before the half equalized the game but still left Dortmund needing a goal due to the away goals rule.
Eliseu leaves his mark
A pivotal figure in Malaga's group stage success, Eliseu failed to feature in the round of 16 fixtures against FC Porto and also missed the first leg against Dortmund due to injury. A 74th minute substitution for fellow countryman Duda saw Eliseu brought into the mix and he was quick to make an impact. A swift Malaga attack in the 82nd minute with a hint of offside left Eliseu with an easy tap in goal that looked likely to make the difference in the game. Needing two goals, Dortmund peppered the Malaga net and were rewarded early in stoppage time as a misjudgement on a cross by Demichelis allowed Marco Reus to pull Dortmund even in the game.
With a renewed sense of hope, Dortmund would score just a minute later as a frenzied scene in the Malaga box(four Dortmund players seemed to be offside as the free kick cross came in) saw Portuguese left-back Antunes block the first shot attempt but unable clear the ball off the line as Dortmund defender Felipe Santana slotted home from close range to give Dortmund the win with seconds to go. A tough pill to swallow for a Malaga side who will be banned from European competition next season due to financial irregularities at the club.
While Duda and Antunes are dark horses to be called up by the Portuguese national team, Eliseu's ability to both play as a winger and left-back should see him get a hard look by Paulo Bento as he has proven to be a match winner for Malaga.
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