Dortmund denied victory as Juventus strike late in eight-goal thriller | OneFootball

Visiting the home of Juventus - the team they defeated in 1997 to claim their only Champions League crown - was always going to be an emotional night for Borussia Dortmund. BVB almost evoked memories of that famous night in Munich before the hosts staged a late comeback in a thrilling game saturated in goals.

The Westphalian side felt the full force of the hosts' intentions as Kephren Thuram took aim from 27 yards. Gregor Kobel adapted brilliantly to get a glove to the strike which took a deflection off Felix Nmecha. Kovač's side somewhat settled into the game thereafter.

Roared on by a strong away support, Dortmund boasted 63 percent of the possession ticking past the quarter of an hour point but it was Juventus who held the lion's share of half-chances. Loïs Openda, formerly of RB Leipzig, heading wide from a corner that rattled the side-netting.

Aside from one or two threatening dribbles towards goal from Karim Adeyemi and the occasional corner, BVB lacked real output in the final third. Jonathan David's attempt to squeeze his shot in at the near post almost caught out Kobel who smothered well in the end to reach the break scoreless.

In what was a quiet first-half for Maxi Beier, the same couldn't be said after the break as the German clipped the post on 50 minutes as he latch onto an aimless long ball. BVB surged into a 1-0 lead seconds later as Nmecha and Guirassy combined to feed Adeyemi whose shot zipped past Di Gregorio.

Juve's shot-stopper prevented the visitors from doubling their advantage as he stopped Guirassy's effort from point-blank range. Teun Koopmeiners fizzed wide at the other end approaching the hour as the game opened up for both teams in an instant.

In the space of seconds, goals rained in at either end. Kenan Yildiz - Juve's greatest threat - curled a peach beyond Kobel under little pressure. However, the same could be said for BVB who hit back from the restart. Couto fed Adeyemi who assisted Nmecha to pick out the top-right from the edge of the box.

Unbelievably, Juventus' response was magnificent to level once more in the 68th-minute. Yildiz turned provider as he lobbed the ball over the top to substitute Dusan Vlahovic who thumped it inside the lower-left upright. Kovač made his first subs of the night as Brandt and Jobe featured for the last 20 minutes.

In a remarkable game, the Westphalian giants regained their winning position for the final time on 74 minutes. A pure strike from Yan Couto caught Di Gregorio napping. Victory was assured when Lloyd Kelly's hand blocked Guirassy's shot. The French arbiter pointed to the spot, and after an awkward debate, Rami Bensebaini slotted it home.

The Italian giants looked consigned to defeat as the clock ticked towards it's conclusion. However, through the six minutes of allotted injury time, Pierre Kalulu found Vlahovic who made it a brace. The drama wasn't done yet as a late cross from the Serbian marksman fed Lloyd Kelly to head home and salvage a point for the Turin side.