3 things we learned from Borussia Dortmund’s 4-0 win over Benfica

Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, overturning a 1-0 first leg defeat with a 4-0 win at home to Benfica. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed a hat trick after a Christian Pulisic strike broke the visitors’ stubborn resistance early in the second half, with the final score eventually flattering the victors.

Benfica supporters were left fearing the worst when their first leg lead was nullified within five minutes of kickoff. An Ousmane Dembélé corner was flicked on at the near post by Pulisic and kicked in at the far post by an unmarked Aubameyang. It was a goal of embarrassing simplicity, and it doubtlessly gave Dortmund the early momentum.

But despite seeing plenty of possession in the following few minutes, the hosts struggled to create anything with it. The longer the half wore on, the more Benfica grew in confidence, their superb organization giving rise to slightly more attacking swagger. Their first great chance came midway through the opening period, though Nélson Semedo’s low cross was met by a tame effort by Franco Cervi, and Roman Bürki got down to save.

The Swiss goalkeeper was called into action again just past the half-hour, when a deep Pizzi free-kick was met with a powerful Luisão header. Unfortunately for the veteran Brazilian, his effort was straight at Bürki, who made a comfortable catch. It proved the last real chance of a tight first half, with Benfica having recovered from their early setback in admirable fashion.

Within a couple of minutes of the restart, Benfica gave Dortmund another huge scare. A low cross from the right was swiped at by Łukasz Piszczek, with the loose ball popping out for Cervi on the edge of the area. The Argentine attacker should’ve buried the ball in the back of the net, though a crucial hesitation allowed Piszczek to atone for his error and make a block.

Cervi was made to rue his error just short of the hour, when Dortmund sucker-punched Benfica on the counter. Ederson made a smart save to deny Aubameyang, though was powerless to stop a smart Pulisic chip seconds later. Dortmund had ridden their luck, but had the aggregate advantage once more.

It took them just a couple of minutes to add a third, with Benfica’s defense — so well organized in the first half — punished for switching off once more. A first-time cross from Marcel Schmelzer on the left was gleefully gobbled up by Aubameyang, who was left with the simple task of tapping beyond Ederson from point-blank range.

Benfica’s swift capitulation all but killed the tie, with the Portuguese champions unable to muster a response. All that was left was for Aubameyang to complete his hat trick, which he did with five minutes of normal time remaining. It was another tap-in for the Gabonese international, who converted Erik Durm’s low cross to cap the victory.

Borussia Dortmund: Roman Bürki; Marc Bartra, Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Matthias Ginter 88’), Łukasz Piszczek; Marcel Schmelzer, Julian Weigl, Gonzalo Castro, Erik Durm; Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembélé (Shinji Kagawa 80’); Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (André Schürrle 86’).

Goals: Aubameyang (4’, 61’, 85’), Pulisic (59’).

Benfica: Ederson; Eliseu, Victor Lindelöf, Luisão, Nélson Semedo; André Almeida, Pizzi, Andreas Samaris (Andrija Živković 74’), Eduardo Salvio (Jonas 64’); Franco Cervi (Raúl Jiménez 82’), Kostas Mitroglou.

Goals: None.

1. Take a bow, Christian Pulisic

Though it wasn’t Christian Pulisic’s liveliest match in a Dortmund shirt, the American international nevertheless delivered when it mattered. Drafted into the Dortmund starting lineup in place of the injured Marco Reus, the 18-year-old arguably netted the decisive goal of the biggest game of his side’s season so far — and he certainly took it well. It’s not often coaches are comfortable relying on teenagers in the latter stages of the Champions League, though Thomas Tuchel will know better than anyone that Pulisic is no ordinary teenager. He’s not just a star in the making, but a star full stop.

2. Momentary errors cost organized Benfica

This Benfica side were arguably the weakest to make it through into the Champions League knockout stages, with their run a testament to the organizational abilities of coach Rui Vitória. Indeed, their first half performance here was one that Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid would’ve been proud of, with their two strikers tirelessly working back behind the ball, and their midfield four sitting narrow to deny space for the likes of Julian Weigl and Gonzalo Castro to form triangles with Dortmund’s attacking trident. They’ll be kicking themselves for their costly lapses in concentration shortly after the halftime whistle, which undermined their impressive earlier efforts.

3. Dortmund’s attack could benefit from greater variation

Though Benfica certainly deserved credit for their first half defensive display, they may well have been helped by Dortmund’s tactics. Tuchel’s formation lacked real width up top, with Ousmane Dembélé and Pulisic forming a narrow two behind centre-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It meant Benfica’s midfield four could sit narrow and stifle Dortmund by sheer weight of numbers, when a wider attacking shape could’ve forced the visitors to play a little more expansively. It will certainly give Tuchel food for thought heading into the quarterfinals. At present, it appears that Dortmund are much more effectual on the counterattack, and a more defensive strategy could serve them well against the bigger boys.