Marco Reus Goal Keeps Borussia Dortmund Champions League Hopes Alive vs Juventus

Borussia Dortmund may have lost the first leg of their Champions League tie with Juventus by two goals to one, but Jurgen Klopp will be confident enough of giving it a go back in Germany when the two sides meet again in three weeks' time. 

The resurgent side travelled to Turin in a buoyant mood, having racked up three wins in a row in the Bundesliga of late, and certainly looked like their old selves when they took to the pitch at the Juventus Stadium.

Zipping around the pitch with an old style of play that values tenacious closing down and inch-perfect attacking passing, Dortmund approached their Italian opponents with little respect, and in return Juventus seemed to revert back to the team that has dropped out of Europe at this stage three years in a row. 

However, a famous victory wasn't to be, and if only to enrage Black and Yellow fans across the continent, Klopp's team ultimately fell on their own sword and allowed Juventus the advantage on the night. 

In a manner befitting of Dortmund's stop-start season, it was the misguidance and unpleasant inability to perform from both Roman Weidenfeller and Marcel Schmelzer—two serial chokers throughout this current campaign—who did all they could to undermine the fantastic way Klopp's side had come to dominate in Turin.

Although Marco Reus was fortunate to grab a goal in the 18th minute, when Giorgio Chiellini tripped on the ball and allowed the Dortmund forward to run in and simply tap the ball past a bemused Gianluigi Buffon in goal, the home side were counting their blessings after two simple attacks down the left flank that resulted in tap-ins for both Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata in the 13th and 42nd minutes respectively. 

Both goals could have undoubtedly been broken down by a series of midfielders and defenders before each ball made it into the box yet all the cameras caught was the Dortmund left-back failing to be in the right place at the right time on each occasions.

Schmelzer has long looked like a weak link in this Dortmund side—often favoured by Klopp for his industrious nature and Erik Durm's mysterious dip in form this season—and Massimo Allegri's team clearly picked up on that before the game. Two mistakes from the Bundesliga defence and Dortmund were somehow behind at half-time. 

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Unfortunately Dortmund were unable to muster the necessary incentive to right any wrongs they feel they may have been subjected to in the opening 45, and with the niggling injuries to Lukasz Piszczek and then Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Klopp's side looked like a shadow of the bullies who'd arrived in Italy earlier that day. 

Such circumstances forced the Bundesliga side into making two defensive substitutions when in fact Klopp should have been bringing Shinji Kagawa and Jakub Blaszczykowski on for the largely ineffective Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ciro Immobile.

The Armenian international was a surprise pick on the night—undoubtedly starting so Klopp could rest Kagawa for the prioritised league clash with Schalke this weekend—but offered very little to suggest he had any intention of turning his form around at the club any time soon. 

Similarly, Immobile returned to his old club with the same huff and puff that we've seen from the young Italian each week but with very little purpose or indeed reason for being on the pitch at all.

One bright spark came in the 55th minute when the striker received the ball in the box and was able to turn and hit a low, powerful shot at Buffon, but aside from that, it was another disappointing night for the Dortmund striker.

In truth, it was the home side who should have added to their tally in the second half with a number of commanding corners directed straight to the head of a dominant Chiellini time and time again before substitute Roberto Pereyra missed a clear chance in the 85th minute to put the tie to bed. 

Juventus may come to regret not finishing off the round in Turin when they appear before the Yellow Wall in hostile Dortmund, yet on the night they will be happy to take any lead at all into the second leg.

By the end Dortmund looked vulnerable, out of ideas and a little out of breath. Klopp's side had come to surprise Juventus and that they did before old habits came back to offer the Italian side a somewhat undeserved lead.

 The second leg awaits with undoubtedly more goals and a few twists in the tale before all is said and done. 

@Sbienkowski