Dortmund 1-1 Lazio: Hosts move on to round of 16

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Jude Bellingham (L) of Dortmund vies for a header with Francesco Acerbi of Lazio during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Borussia Dortmund and Lazio in Dortmund, Germany, Dec. 2, 2020. (Photo by Joachim Bywaletz/Xinhua)

Borussia Dortmund booked their berth in the UEFA Champions League's knockout stages after sharing the spoils with Lazio following a 1-1 draw on home soil in Group F on Wednesday.

The "BVB" stay atop the standings in Group F even though Ciro Immobile's equalizer from the penalty spot canceled out Raphael Guerreiro's first-half opener.

Dortmund controled the proceedings in the opening stages but failed to overcome Lazio's well-positioned defence.

Although Dortmund was the more active team it was the visitors from Italy who produced the first clear-cut chance of the game through Joaquin Correa, whose long-range effort forced goalkeeper Roman Burki into action with 20 minutes played.

Ten minutes later, Lucien Favre's men got their first chance on target and it was a double chance as Lazio keeper Jose Manuel Reina had to be on guard to save efforts from Thorgan Hazard and Marco Reus in quick succession.

Reina was hapless though minutes before half-time as his goal-kick found its way back after Dortmund exchanged passes at the edge of the box before Guerreiro slotted home from 11 meters.

After the restart, Dortmund started where it left off as Reina parried Giovanni Reyna's effort five minutes into the second half.

As the match progressed, Lazio increased the pressure and kept Dortmund's defense busy, as Burki denied Immobile's volley with a diving save at the hour mark.

The visitors eventually restored parity in the 67th minute after Immobile beat Burki from the spot to make it 1-1 against his former club.

Lazio gained momentum in the closing stages whereas Dortmund had to thank Burki, who saved a one-timer from Immobile and a dangerous free-kick from Andreas Pereira.

With the draw, Borussia Dortmund lead Group F with 10 points followed by Lazio (9 points), Club Brugge (7 points) and Zenit Saint Petersburg (1 point).

"We could already have qualified but we staged a great performance, great character and personality against a team I believe is very strong," said Lazio head coach Simone Inzaghi.

"We lost 3-1 to Lazio in the first match, we improved tonight and could have won it with our chances. In the end it wasn't our best performance, but we've qualified. That is what matters tonight," said Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre.

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