Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Europa League
Liverpool have a good chance of progressing to the last four in the UEFA Europa League following a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
On his return to his former club, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp saw his current side take the lead—and score a precious away goal—through Divock Origi in the 36th minute. Dortmund hit back with Mats Hummels' header early in the second half but couldn't find a way to break down Liverpool again.
The second leg is scheduled for next Thursday at Anfield, and Liverpool know a scoreless draw will be enough to send them into the semi-finals.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Jurgen Klopp
1 of 6
Who says you can't go home again? Back at his former club, Jurgen Klopp coaxed an excellent performance from his current side, and as a result, Liverpool now have a good chance of going through to the semi-finals.
That's no small feat considering the form Borussia Dortmund have been in. Winners of five straight matches in all competitions before Thursday night, the Schwarzgelben have not lost since the calendar turned to 2016. The goals have generally flowed during that time, but against Liverpool, the Bundesliga side struggled for ideas.
Credit for that goes to Klopp, who devised a solid approach that denied Dortmund space and opportunities. The hosts were unable to break Liverpool down, and if not for some fine saves from Roman Weidenfeller in the second half, the Reds might have even won this game.
In addition, Klopp deserves praise for his somewhat surprising selection of Divock Origi ahead of Daniel Sturridge. Origi hadn't scored since February, but he rewarded his manager's faith with a crucial away goal.
"Dortmund is a pretty good side and everyone could see that but we had our moments and we could have won the game," Klopp told UEFA.com. "I’m pretty sure a lot of people thought we would lose two, three or four-nil. But at some moments we had Dortmund and around our goal we were brilliant."
All in all, it was a happy return for Klopp, though he'll already be looking forward to the second leg.
Loser: Marco Reus
2 of 6
At his best, Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus is a joy to behold. On Thursday night, he was nowhere near his best.
Instead, the 26-year-old attacker drifted through the game, rarely making an impact. He missed a big chance late in the first half and struggled to put in a positive contribution.
In the second leg, Dortmund and manager Thomas Tuchel will be expecting a better performance.
Winner: Roman Weidenfeller
3 of 6
At 35 years old, Roman Weidenfeller is on the downslope of his career. The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper lost his starting place to Roman Burki this season and is no longer a regular in the first team.
On Thursday, however, the veteran stopper made a string of fine saves to preserve the draw for his side. The best came early in the second half as he stopped Philippe Coutinho's low drive that seemed destined for the bottom corner. Moments later, he made two more saves to deny Nathaniel Clyne and then Coutinho again.
If not for Weidenfeller's big night, Dortmund would probably be facing a deficit heading into the second leg.
"We knew that tonight wouldn't be an easy game for us," Weidenfeller told UEFA.com. "We had some difficulties in the beginning. But the return leg will be a completely different story.”
Loser: Liverpool's Zonal Marking on That Set Piece
4 of 6
Adam Lallana has many fine qualities as a footballer, but his physical stature is not necessarily his strongest trait. How was it, then, that he ended up against Mats Hummels on the set piece that led to Borussia Dortmund's only goal?
Lallana tried to leap with Hummels as the ball came into the goalmouth, but this was a mismatch the Liverpool man was never going to win. Zonal marking has many critics, and this will only be fodder for them.
Nitpicking? Yes, but it potentially cost Liverpool the win.
Winners: Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren
5 of 6
Both of Liverpool's starting center-backs—Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren—made massively crucial blocks in the first half. For that, both are winners here.
Sakho isn't necessarily the most graceful of defenders, but his 18th-minute block on Henrikh Mkhitaryan was mightily impressive. Dortmund looked set to score following a cutback by Marcel Schmelzer, but Sakho slid in with a perfect challenge to avert the danger.
"Sakho may look awkward and always on the brink of stumbling over the ball, but he's an exceptional defender," tweeted BBC Sport's Gary Lineker.
Lovren added a block of his own late in the first half, stopping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's shot from a tight angle after the Dortmund man had run onto a through ball. Without those two interventions, this match might have turned out differently.
Winner: Divock Origi
6 of 6
Divock Origi hadn't scored since Liverpool's demolition of Aston Villa in February. But after getting the nod from Klopp, he took his chance superbly with a big goal for the Reds.
In fairness, the Belgian did benefit from a deflection, but he also showed good strength to hold off Lukasz Piszczek, as well as composure in the opposition's area. At just 20 years old, Origi's best days are surely yet to come.
"Today was a big game. At a big club you have responsibilities. Everybody tried to help me so I am happy to score," Origi told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport's Phil Dawkes). "It is a huge boost for us to produce a performance like this. It is promising for the next game."
