Dortmund go out despite win in Milan

An 80th minute strike from Jan Koller gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Champions League Group C on Tuesday, but the Germans went out of the competition after Real Madrid won in Moscow.

Milan, who had already qualified, had not lost at home to a German side in over 47 years, but the outcome of the group means that Germany, including both former East and West Germanys, will be without a team in the quarter-finals of a European club competition for the first time since 1956/57.

After Bayern Munich's exit in the first group stage and Bayer Leverkusen's poor showing in the second phase, one of the continent's traditional soccer powerhouses now has no interest in the two European competitions.

Koller's goal came at the end of a disappointing game, with Milan content to play attractive but ineffective football in midfield and the Germans unable to create much in the way of real pressure.

That was surprising given that Borussia coach Mattias Sammer, returning to the stadium he briefly graced as an Inter Milan player, had fielded a side with three out-and-out strikers.

But the Germans, European champions in 1997, were never able to win enough control of the midfield to enable them to provide their forwards with any meaningful service for the first hour of the game.

Milan went close in just the fourth minute when Rui Costa put Rivaldo through, but the Brazilian was forced wide by Dortmund keeper Jens Lehmann and his shot from a tight angle struck the side netting.

It was another half hour before either keeper was brought into action again as Milan's Portuguese midfielder Rui Costa cut inside the area from the left and fired in a low shot that Lehmann was forced to save with his legs.

Sammer replaced his workhorse midfielder Stefan Reuter with the more attack-minded Lars Ricken six minutes into the second half as he looked to force the pace of the game.

But it was Milan who took the initiative and their most lively performer, Gennaro Gattuso, hit the post in the 57th minute with a powerful drive from the edge of the Dortmund penalty area.

Incredibly for a team who needed to win to have any chance of making the last eight, Dortmund's first real effort on goal did not come until the 65th minute when Marcio Amoroso's curling shot brought a fine save out of Christian Abbiati.

But Dortmund gained urgency in the latter stages and were rewarded when Ricken burst through from midfield, slipped the ball into the path of Koller and the towering Czech striker confidently slotted it past Abbiati.

Suddenly a place in the last eight looked possible and the 4,000 travelling Dortmund fans thought their dreams had come true as they celebrated after the word spread that Lokomotiv Moscow had equalised against Real.

But the joy was shortlived as it became clear that the rumours were unfounded and the European champions had held on for a 1-0 victory.