Giroud's Late Stop Saves Dortmund from Defeat
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 AC Milan
Dortmund, Germany; September 15, 2023
Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel pulled off a stunning penalty save deep into injury time to deny AC Milan all three points in their Champions League clash on Wednesday. Olivier Giroud had given Milan the lead with a superb finish in the 29th minute. However, Dortmund pushed hard for an equalizer and eventually got their reward when Jude Bellingham tucked away a cross from substitute Gio Reyna in the 82nd minute. It looked as though Milan would snatch a dramatic win when referee Szymon Marciniak awarded them a penalty for a handball by Mats Hummels in the final minute of regulation time. But Kobel guessed correctly and pushed Giroud's spot-kick away to secure a point for Dortmund.
The result leaves both teams level on points at the top of Group E, with Manchester City and Copenhagen still to play their match. Dortmund will be grateful to Kobel for his heroics, while Giroud will be disappointed to have missed the chance to seal the win. The French striker has been in excellent form for Milan this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
Dortmund, on the other hand, have struggled for consistency. They have won just two of their last five games and will need to improve if they want to make a deep run in the Champions League. However, they will take confidence from their performance against Milan, particularly in the second half.
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