Donyell Malen, a Dutch striker, scored a crucial goal to win Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund a 1-1 draw away to his former club PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
PSV, the runaway unbeaten leaders of the Dutch Eredivisie, were left to rue a slew of first-half squandered opportunities and now face a daunting second leg in Germany.
The big issue going into the game was whether Borussia Dortmund would be the team that won the Champions League’s ‘Group of Death’ or the outfit fighting for consistency in the Bundesliga.
And it was a cagey start in an intimidating atmosphere in Eindhoven, with home fans setting off a burst of pyrotechnics at kickoff.
When the smoke cleared, the hosts had the upper hand in the opening exchanges, with Mexico international winger Hirving Lozano causing problems for Dortmund’s defence down the left.
PSV midfielder Malik Tillman missed two golden opportunities in front of goal, firstly shooting wide after a beautiful through ball from experienced Dutch striker Luuk de Jong.
And the visitors took advantage of PSV’s mistakes, taking the lead against the run of play in the 24th minute when Malen deflected a shot into the top corner.
Malen had been productive for the Dutch giants, scoring 55 goals in all competitions in just 43 games, but opted not to celebrate in front of PSV’s die-hard fans.
The misfiring Tillman then managed to miss another goal that appeared easy to score, this time with a header just in front of the goal.
Then it was Belgian international winger Johan Bakayoko’s turn to fluff a shot wide, leaving home fans wondering if it was going to be one of those nights as they went into halftime 1-0 behind.
PSV has not lost at home this season and began the second half on the front foot.
They soon became level.
Tillman atoned for his earlier blunders by winning a penalties in the 56th minute, which De Jong smoothly dispatched past Alexander Meyer.
Dortmund defenders were furious with the penalty award, claiming that veteran central defender Mats Hummels had snatched the ball before taking down Tillman.
The equaliser opened up the game, with chances at both ends, including a flick by Dortmund’s Marius Wolf that forced Walter Benitez to make a great save in the PSV goal.
With 15 minutes remaining, Bakayoko weaved through Dortmund’s defence but missed to connect with his attempt.
It summed up the night for PSV, who will be left wondering what may have happened.