Malaga vs. Borussia Dortmund, 2013 UEFA Champions League: No goals in first leg

Traveling away to Malaga for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal and returning home with a 0-0 draw isn’t a bad result for Dortmund. Once you realize how many wasted chances the Germans had to leave with three or four goals in their pocket, the result will likely feel a little less positive.

Malaga got the game’s first good chance In the 7th minute as Javier Saviola sliced through the German defense with relative ease, before cutting inside of Ilkay Gündogan and sending his shot into the side netting. Saviola should have looked up though on the play as he had two teammates making runs as the Dortmund goal.

It was an open and entertaining first half between Borussia Dortmund and Malaga at the Rosaleda. Despite chances for both sides, the goalkeepers were on their games and the match remains scoreless at halftime.

Dortmund had the better of the ball in the opening ten minutes but it was Malaga who generated the best chance. In the 7th minute Javier Saviola sliced through the German defense with relative ease, before cutting inside of Ilkay Gündogan and sending his shot into the side netting. If Saviola had looked up, he would have seen two teammates making runs at the Dortmund goal. Decent shot attempt after a nice run but it could have been much better for Malaga.

Borussia Dortmund will have to face Malaga without Mats Hummels or Jakub Blaszczykowski as both are out of the side with injuries.

Felipe Santana and Kevin Großkreutz come into the side as respective replacements, although Marcel Schmelzer is ready to play despite suffering a facial injury. Sebastian Kehl is surprisingly preferred to Sven Bender in midfield, with Nuri Sahin also relegated to the bench in place of Ilkay Gundogan.

A sense of destiny will be shining over Borussia Dortmund as they travel to Malaga as they recall that the last time they won in Spain, they went on to lift the trophy.

The German champions have little left to play for domestically, but will feel they may have enough to go all the way as they did in 1997, when they defeated Atletico Madrid, their only victory ever in Spain. Malaga have showed throughout their Champions League campaign that they are a dangerous opponent, however, so a victory will be hard to obtain.