Dortmund hold off Atletico fightback in thrilling Champions League clash
Haller nets crucial goal for German side
Simeone wary of Dortmund's home strength ahead of return leg
Borussia Dortmund produced a stunning comeback to hold Atletico Madrid to a 3-5-2 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Thursday.
French striker Sebastien Haller, who netted a hat-trick in the previous round against Chelsea, scored the crucial away goal for Dortmund in the 74th minute.
Diego Simeone's Atletico had taken a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Koke and Antoine Griezmann, but Jude Bellingham and Karim Adeyemi hit back for Dortmund before the break.
Joao Felix restored Atletico's lead early in the second half, but Haller's goal levelled the tie and gave Dortmund a vital advantage heading into the second leg at the Signal Iduna Park on April 24.
"It was important to get the away goal," said Haller. "We knew it would be tough here, but we showed great character to come back from two goals down."
Simeone admitted that Dortmund's home strength would make the return leg a difficult task.
"We played well in the first half, but Dortmund are a very dangerous team at home," he said. "We need to be wary of their attacking threat and try to keep a clean sheet."
The draw leaves the tie finely poised heading into the second leg, with both teams still in with a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
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