Borussia Dortmund Legends draw with Liverpool as Jürgen Klopp watches on
More than 61,000 fans were in attendance at Anfield as Borussia Dortmund's Legends team took on their Liverpool counterparts - featuring Steven Gerrard and Thiago Alcântara - and with Jürgen Klopp back in the dugout.
The Dortmund contingent arrived in Liverpool on Friday, joining around 300 travelling fans at the club’s fan embassy. Earlier in the day, the squad had taken a stadium tour of Anfield Road, while the two clubs’ walking football teams also met for a friendly.
Saturday afternoon brought the weekend's highlight. The sold-out clash at Anfield featured a host of former stars, including Gerrard, Thiago and Peter Crouch, managed by the watchful eye of Klopp on the sidelines.
Dortmund, meanwhile, had Polish icons Jakub Błaszczykowski and Łukasz Piszczek in their team, coached by Jörg Heinrich and Norbert Dickel.
Even before kick-off, there were plenty of emotional reunions on the Anfield pitch. Klopp warmly greeted many of his former Dortmund colleagues during the pre-match walkabout. Another spine-tingling moment followed as supporters of both clubs joined together in a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
On the pitch, the first half belonged to the hosts. Much of Liverpool’s play flowed through former Bayern Munich star Thiago in midfield; having retired just two years ago, the 34-year-old was among the youngest players on show. It was therefore no surprise that it was the Spaniard who opened the scoring after just six minutes.
Dortmund tried to impose some structure on their attacking play but found it difficult to break down Liverpool’s compact defence. On 34 minutes, Gerrard raced clean through on goal, only for 2014 World Cup winner Roman Weidenfeller to deny him in a one-on-one. Moments later, Jay Spearing made it 2–0 with a superb long-range strike into the top corner.
Both sides made numerous changes after the break, ensuring everyone got some minutes, and Dortmund improved markedly. They pulled one back in the 63rd minute when Mohamed Zidan finished coolly to make it 2-1.
Dortmund pushed hard for an equaliser late on but spurned several good chances through Nelson Valdez and Moritz Leitner. With nine minutes remaining, however, the leveller finally arrived: Leitner delivered a delicate cross onto the head of the towering Jan Koller, and the Czech forward powered home a vintage header.
In the end, though, the result felt secondary. It was a match defined by enjoyment, reunions and a deep mutual respect between the two sides.
Related news
Chukwuemeka scores on Austria debut
It was a senior international bow to remember for the Dortmund midfielder, who could now be on his way to the World Cup...
Germany's World Cup squad - who could still make the cut?
Several players are heading into the final months of the season with a point to prove to Julian Nagelsmann...
How do Stuttgart and Dortmund stack up?
It's third vs. second on Matchday 28 as VfB host Borussia in a mouthwatering clash at the MHP Arena.