Champions League 2012/2013 » Semi-finals » Live commentary: Real Madrid - Borussia Dortmund 2:0

Endgame Summary:
What a second half! Borussia Dortmund have seen their lead from the first leg hold up after a vicious flurry from Real Madrid. The 2:0 victory was totally deserved for the home side but they could not see their efforts bring them further than the semi-finals. Dortmund fans will be disappointed from the outing from their side as they were unable to put the game out of reach until the final whistle but the efforts of Mats Hummels and Roman Weidenfeller certainly saved the german club from a bitter loss. For the home side it should be taken as a positive that Kaká and Karim Benzema brought such life to the team as soon as they were substituted on but it will still be seen as another short-lived campaign for the spanish side not to reach the Champions League final for yet another year. Borussia Dortmund will celebrate and deservingly so but their performance tonight would not be acceptable in a deciding final and now Mario Götze's health has become a more important factor. But tonight belongs to the german club Borussia Dortmund and they are deservingly going to compete for a Champions League finale. What a game and what an effort from both sides!

That's the final whistle! Dortmund have survived!

Truly a dangerous header from Ramos from the corner. The shot is well paced but skids by the left goal post to the joy of Roman Weidenfeller.

Five minutes left to play!

Goooal for Real Madrid, 2:0 by Sergio Ramos
This cannot be! The spanish side have found their way back. After a deflection, Benzema gathers the ball in the right side of the box, he finds Ramos standing wide open in the middle of the box and the midfielder drives the ball home with his left foot into the top roofing of the net.

Madrid have come back to life thanks to the effort from Benzema! They may not find the inspiration to score twice but they are certainly seeing chances.

Goooal for Real Madrid, 1:0 by Karim Benzema
It took much longer than any spanish club would have wanted but they have finally seen their goal! Kaká plays on to Mesut Özil running along the right side of the box and Özil slices a low paced pass into the middle. Benzema does the rest for his team and now their is life for spaniards.

Sami Khedira (Real Madrid) is shown a yellow card

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) is shown a yellow card

Once again Dortmund fail to get their away goal and once again it is Robert Lewandowski missing an opportunity, this time his shot takes a deflection off a spanish defender.

Yet another chance this time from Kaká! Di María's cross finds just enough space and the brilliant skill of Kaká manages to click his heels on the ball. The shot whizzes by Dortmunds right goal post.

The chances haven't been sparse for the home club. Kaká's latest effort only meets the Dortmund wall and the heads are starting to hang in the Madrid camp.

It's truly remarkable that neither team haev seen a goal scored for their side. The chances of Madrid in the first half compounded with Dortmund's second half opportunities have come to nothing thanks to some rather spectacular saves from the goalkeepers.

No need for reservation from the home side. Mourinho has seen two more offensive players come on in an attempt to find some hope in a darkening Champions League future.

Dortmund have been must more effective in the opening phases of this second half. Marco Reus has caused problem for Madrid's defense and as a result the Borussia fans have come to life in Spain.

Robert Lewandowski hasn't taken his chance as well as he did in the first match. He receives a pass standing completely free at the top of the penalty area but blasts the ball twenty meters from its target.

The action continues!

Halftime Summary:
Nothing to truly be astonished by from either club during the first half. Real Madrid came out as expected with plenty of attacks forwards as the club attempted to make their mark on the game very quickly. The spanish club will see the first half as a failure as there were a number of opportunities that simply must be made for a club trying to catch up from such a deficit. Dortmund, although in great position for advancing, will want to see their performance improve in the coming half. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a few chances he could have seen in, but Roman Weidenfeller has simply been excellent for his club. Without his heroics in front of goal the match could easily have seen Madrid with a two goal lead. It will be exciting to see what changes both sides make going into the second half and whether Madrid will be able to bring themselves any closer to the german side. The second half will begin shortly!

A scoreless first half comes to the end!

Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund) is shown a yellow card
Ronaldo's run straight through the defence had to be stopped and Bender brings him down to the sound of a whistle.

İlkay Gündoğan (Borussia Dortmund) is shown a yellow card
A tactical foul to slow down Özil's run but he had to see yellow.

Once again Mats Hummels is there to prevent a run down the right flank from Angel Di María. He has to be pleased with his efforts through the first 40 minutes.

If there is one bright spot for Dortmund in an otherwise rather unevenful match, it is the play of Mats Hummels on the back line. He has not allowed the attacks of Real Madrid to be led without major disturbances.

Now the away club have found themselves a bit more in the action. They have managed to keep the possession on the spanish club's half for a good chunk of time.

Regardless of how well it seems Madrid have been able to control tempo and pace until this point, there will be nothing to show for it to this point. A disappointment considering how well they have played thus far.

A very important block from Hummels. Mesut Özil manages to beat Piszczek down the left flank and delivers to Di Maria who launches an effort towards goal but only manages to hit Hummels's body.

It has been twice now that Dortmund have use their counter attacking skill to make things uncomfortable for the home side. The most recent counter is well defended by Madrid but the away club seem very content relying on the counter.

Perhaps Dortmund thought their task tonight would be simple, they have simply looked undermanned against the spanish side since the opening whistle.

Weidenfeller saves his team from a huge opportunity from the spanish side. Cristiano Ronaldo slashes an aerial cross out of the air directly in front of the German keeper but sees his attempt pushed away.

Higuaí­n rolls on the ground after a foul from Piszczek for a few moments. Özil's free kick reaches the had of Ronaldo but the striker is whistled for offside positioning.

One major change for the Madrid side is Luka Modrić's apperance at the expense of Sami Khedira from the beginning, Real need all the firepower they can afford to extend their Champions League season.

A huge chance for Gonzalo Higuaí­n! Fortunately for Dortmund, Weidenfeller can get his hands on the ball as it is deflected out for the second corner but the shot attempts keep coming from the spanish club.

There's action in the Bernabéu stadium!

Just a few minutes until kick off!

Without question the feel of the game will change dramatically based on who is capable of scoring the first goal. For the sake of uncertainty, Real would need to see the ball into the net rather quickly and see their chances develop from there. Conversely if Dortmund were to score quickly, the german club would practically reserve their spot in the Champions League final. Two of the world's best clubs will be underway in only a few minutes to decide who plays for the chance to become the best club in the world.

Robert Lewandowski is, of course, an important piece in this one. The scorer of all four Dortmund goals in the first leg will look to etch his name into the memory of Madrid fans and players. He will have plenty of support from Mario Götze, who is on the way to FC Bayern Munich after this season, and Marco Reus. The midfield battle will be an exciting one as both sides have remarkable playmakers. If Madrid can control the midfield, something they had struggles with in the first match, it could create plenty of opportunites for the home side.

An important question is whether three goals is too much for Real Madrid. Although BVB have a huge advantage coming into the game, teams with Real's talent such as Arsenal against Bayern Munich have shown that no lead is safe in the second leg. Yet the german side did a great job bottling up Ronaldo in the opening match of this competition, it will be important for him to assert himself into the action early and often. For the leading side, Dortmund would do well to tally a goal in the early stages, then the game could be out of reach even for the likes of Ronaldo and Özil.

Good evening football fans! We have an exciting prospect of a match coming to us shortly from the Bernabéu Stadium! Will Real Madrid be able to turn this Champions League second leg in their favor or will their german competition waltz their way into the Champions League final? Updates until kick off in little under an hour!