Three Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund's Lacklustre 1-1 draw against LOSC Lille | OneFootball

A team who seemed as though they were beginning to find their feet under new coach Niko Kovač may have just received a knock-back in their gradual progress. This game was one that most BVB fans were likely confident in (myself, not too much). This can be accredited to Dortmund's acclaimed pedigree in UCL knockout stages, especially following their miracle run to Wembley last year. Genesio's men, being a relatively young group with eight out of eleven starters being aged 25 and under, were not given much credit for how they may fair on the big stages, despite their great group phase performance, landing in an automatic qualification spot. Dortmund was favored in the Westfalenstadion.

Dortmund's first half, while commendably compact and firm defensively, was generally quite uncreative and, honestly, boring. However, they did a solid job out-of-possession, with the first line of the press doing exceptionally well at hindering the ball-playing abilities of Alexsandro Ribeiro precisely. If it weren't for Karim Adeyemi's delightful half-volley from the edge of the box, Dortmund would've been met with a stalemate after 45.

In the second half, Dortmund were non-existent. Absolutely nothing was ticking, and while they continued to defend firmly, the gas was running out, and eventually, cracks began to open. Lille took no mercy in finding their equalizer. Even when substitutions were made late on, Dortmund still had absolutely no chances. Nobody else's fault but themselves. Lille grew into the game superbly, and their physicality and athleticism started to showcase themselves. Something Dortmund couldn't keep up with, especially the aging midfield.

Overall, it is not a celebratory result for Die Schwarzgelben, as they now must travel to Lille next Wednesday, following a Bundesliga game against Augsburg on Saturday, with a clean slate, not the usual advantage that they work up in Dortmund in UCL campaigns. Kovač will have to prepare his men well, and with the same squad likely to be traveling, he has a tough week ahead to figure out how to spring a surprise. Here are my three takeaways from the game: