Inter Milan seized a dramatic victory at Borussia Dortmund's ground. Dortmund failed to earn points and missed direct qualification to the round of 16.
Borussia Dortmund lost 0-2 to Inter Milan in the final match of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League league phase on the 29th (Korea time) at BVB Stadion Dortmund in Dortmund, Germany.
With this, Dortmund fell to 17th with 11 points (3 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses). Meanwhile, Inter Milan rose to ninth (15 points).
Dortmund lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. Serhou Guirassy occupied the front, and Fabio Silva and Maximilian Weyer formed the two attacking midfield positions. Felix Nmecha and Jude Bellingham filled the midfield, and Rami Bensebaini and Julian Ryerson started as the wing-backs. Nico Schlotterbeck, Emre Can and Filippo Mané formed the back three, and Gregor Kobel guarded the goal.
Inter matched them in a 3-5-2 system. Ange Jean Bonnì and Marcus Thuram formed the attacking duo, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Piotr Zieliński and Petar Stojkovic took charge of the midfield. Federico Dimarco and Luis Henrique started as the wing-backs, and Jan-Aurel Vissek, Francesco Acerbi and Manuel Akanji stood in defense. Jan Sommer wore the goalkeeper gloves.
The early part of the first half resembled a probing phase. Neither team pushed their lines high, and both deliberately controlled the pace. Dortmund created the first decisive chance. In the 11th minute of the first half, from a corner kick situation the ball spilled to Guirassy, who failed to finish in front of goal. It was a scene that could effectively have led to the opening goal.
After that, Dortmund continued to press, focusing on set pieces. In the 41st minute of the first half, Ryerson's free kick was met by Fabio Silva with his head, but the angle was not enough to trouble Jan Sommer. Dortmund's expected goals (xG) for the entire first half was 0.73, surpassing Inter's 0.37.
Inter also had chances. In the closing stages of the first half, Henrique's cross was met by Bonnì with a header, but Kobel dealt with it comfortably. It was a moment Bonnì could feel disappointed about. In the 37th minute of the first half, Acerbi suffered a finger dislocation during a challenge, but after first aid he returned to the field.
Judging by the match itself, the first half was one in which neither team committed a decisive gamble. Inter held a slight advantage in possession, but their attacking development was cautious, and Dortmund failed to convert superior numbers into actual goals. The only striking image that captured the first half was the stadium atmosphere as snow began to fall.
After 1 minute of added time in the first half, referee István Kovács blew the final whistle. The contest moved into the second half.
The second half was tight as well. In the 18th minute of the second half, Henrique fired a sharp shot that did not head toward goal, and shortly after, Francesco Pio Esposito faced a golden opportunity that Bensebaini rushed in to dramatically defend.
In the 23rd minute of the second half, Dortmund withdrew Guirassy to the bench and brought on Karim Adeyemi. Immediately after, Adeyemi tried to control a ball played into the box, but goalkeeper Sommer barely dealt with it.
In the 28th minute of the second half, Inter sought change by substituting Zieliński with Davide Frattesi.
Inter Milan opened the scoring. In the 35th minute of the second half they earned a free kick in a good position, and Dimarco, who took the kick, struck the net with a perfect shot.
Five minutes of added time were given at the end. Inter scored one more goal. In the closing moments of the match, Andy Diouf completely deceived goalkeeper Kobel to make it 2-0. The match ended with Inter Milan's 2-0 victory.
[OSEN]