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Champions League: Abject Dortmund facing early exit

October 17, 2017

Borussia Dortmund's hopes of reaching the knockout phase of the Champions League hang in the balance after a damaging draw against APOEL. Peter Bosz's side are six points behind Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

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Champions League - Apoel Nicosia vs Borussia Dortmund
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias

APOEL 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
(Pote 62' - Sokratis 67')

Borussia Dortmund face a monumental struggle to reach the last 16 of the Champions League after a deflating performance in Cyprus.

Peter Bosz's side went into this must-win game with zero points after two games and their Dutch coach was desperate for his side to pick themselves up following defeat by RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last weekend.

But his team, which saw Christian Pulisic, Julian Weigl, Shinji Kagawa and captain Marcel Schmelzer reinstated to the starting XI, labored in a first half where they produced only one shot on target.

Read more: Champions League as it happened

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Rather than be roused at half time, Dortmund fell behind after a shock goal by Mickael Pote, who profited from some dire play by Roman Bürki. The Dortmund goalkeeper easily surrendered possession moments before spilling a shot, which Pote collected and calmly slotted in.

Champions League - Apoel Nicosia vs Borussia Dortmund Roman Bürki
Roman Bürki was at fault for APOEL's goalImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias

Bürki had a terrible night but so did the entire Dortmund team, who were well off the pace in a game they were expected to cruise through and recover lost ground in Group H.

Sokratis powered in a header from Mario Götze's scooped cross to level the scores midway through the second half, and Dortmund briefly looked like sneaking what would have been an undeserved winner when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's header was palmed onto the post by Boy Waterman.

But it was too little too late for Dortmund as APOEL held on for their first Champions League points of the season, while Dortmund were left dejected as they lay six points behind Real Madrid and Tottenham with three games to play.