Half-time: Dortmund 2-0 Monterrey

New York Times

2 days ago

Follow live reaction after Serhou Guirassy's first-half brace led Dortmund past Monterrey in Atlanta Getty Images Stats Perform / Getty Images
Two minutes of first-half stoppage time pass without much incident.
Dortmund hit the break leading by two goals thanks to Serhou Guirassy's brace. Getty Images
On the occasions that Monterrey do get forward and create some good opportunities, they just don't have enough bodies forward to provide a credible threat. There are too many yellow shirts in the way and the promising attacks have tended to fizzle out.
44' Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Monterrey
Corona leads a swift counter-attack from the halfway line. He won't win the footrace to goal so he checks back, only managing to win a corner in the end which Dortmund deal with comfortably.
41' Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Monterrey
Corona breaks free down the left wing and makes a lovely move to skip past his nearest defender. He advances into the box and looks to beat Kobel from point-blank range, but the goalkeeper makes the stop.
Corona had an opportunity to go down in the box under contact, which may have won him a penalty, but he stayed on his feet instead. Getty Images
Former La Liga wonder kid Oliver Torres has found a home in Monterrey. Tonight, however, he has been unimpressive in central midfield. Hurried and anxious on the ball, the 30-year-old baby-faced Spaniard has underwhelmed.
Nelson Deossa, on the other hand, has had a wonderful tournament. The left-footed Colombian playmaker has put himself in the European shop window during this competition.
Not the 2013 Champions League semi-final, Mario? Too soon? Getty Images
When all the media were preparing their stories about the Bellingham brothers facing off in case there was a Madrid-Dortmund match-up in the quarter-final, Jobe's unexpected absence could lead to more talk about, mmm, the Champions League 2024 final maybe?
31' Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Monterrey
Bellingham sets up Guirassy in front of goal, but as he slides Guirassy is just barely unable to make strong-enough contact to direct the ball into the open corner of the net. That would have been a first-half hat-trick. Getty Images
For those who needed a reminder of just how clinical of a goalscorer Serhou Guirassy is, his rate of 0.73 league goals per 90 minutes this past season were better than Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Barcelona's Raphinha and…Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood.
28' Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Monterrey
Bellingham scythes down Deossa near the corner flag and is shown a deserved yellow card. That means, if Dortmund advance here, he's suspended for the quarter-final meeting with his brother, Jude, and Real Madrid! Getty Images
Monterrey had reacted well but, and forgive the typical phrase, at the highest level mistakes are very damaging. The Mexicans failed in the opponent's area and were weak defending, once again unable to stop the Adeyemi-Guirassy duo.
Karim Adeyemi's pace has been on full display so far in Atlanta. What a player he is. Monterrey's defenders are on their heels anytime the German attacker is on the ball.
2-0 for Dortmund and they can smell blood just 27 minutes into this match.
It's exactly the same link-up — Adeyemi and Guirassy — to put Dortmund 2-0 up. Whereas the first goal was all about clever play in tight spaces, this one showcased the speed of Adeyemi, stretching the Monterrey defence on the right and then taking his time to play a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Guirassy, who again finished superbly. Getty Images
24' Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Monterrey
Adeyemi breaks free down the right wing and draws the attention of two defenders before rolling the box into the centre for Guirassy, who finishes at the near post again! Getty Images
Guirassy's strike was a beautifully taken goal that underlined what an excellent centre-forward he has become. A shame for Monterrey that Corona couldn't show quite the same composure at the other end a few minutes later, going fractionally too early with his run, getting flagged offside, and unable to find a way past Kobel anyway.
Going back to Dortmund's goal, it was a smart move by Adeyemi to find that space inside, Rodriguez has been unable to read the play and Guirassy was in a very good position to score. That's the earliest goal Dortmund have scored in this tournament, but it doesn't look like Monterrey will give up so soon.
19' Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Monterrey
Corona breaks free on goal but can't manage to beat Kobel one-on-one. The offside flag goes up immediately afterward to spare his blushes.
Ryerson had done well to step up and put Corona offside. Getty Images
Argentine referee Facundo Tello is well-respected in CONMEBOL circles and globally, as well. Facundo refereed three matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He also featured at Euro 2024 as the the first non-UEFA official to referee a match at a major European tournament. Getty Images
17' Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Monterrey
Corona whips a cross into the box from a tight angle. His aim is a bit off and instead he nearly scores, the ball smacking off the near post.
Moments later, Deossa unleashes a thunderbolt from range that stings the palms of Kobel.