Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Inter Milan: 5 Talking Points | Champions League 2019-20

A blazing spell in the second half saw Borussia Dortmund snatch all three points from Inter Milan at the Signal Iduna Park. Inter Milan led 2-0 at half-time thanks to an early opener from Lautaro Martinez and a goal towards the end of the half by Matia Vecino.

The home side's comeback was staged entirely in the second half as they dug their feet in for a fight and Achraf Hakimi's brace on either side of Julian Brandt's goal made for a compelling story that unfolded on the night.

Had it been proposed at half-time that Dortmund would come back to win the game 3-2, many may not have believed it because Inter were cruising and showing a measure of control that Antonio Conte's teams almost never lose.

Despite finishing the game effectively with 10 men as Matteo Politano hobbled around the pitch carrying an injured ankle, the away side tried to mount a final attack towards the end but were unable to create any clear cut chances.

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#5 A game of two halves

Both teams had good spells, Borussia Dortmund just managed theirs better

It's a cliche, but one that fits this game perfectly. Inter Milan were completely in control of the game at half-time. They stifled all of Borussia Dortmund's attacking play in the first period and allowed none fo their attacking players to express themselves.

Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku's movement was easy for their defenders and midfielders to pick out providing an outlet for Inter. One that worked effectively in their favour until seemingly it all went wrong in the second half.

Dortmund came out with more of a purpose. Manuel Akanji and Mats Hummels shadowed the two Inter strikers cutting off a vital outlet for the away side and the hosts kept winning second balls. They found space down the sides and punished Inter, creating chance after chance and most crucially finishing them off to mount their comeback.

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#4 Lautaro Martinez's killer form

Martinez's early goal set Inter on their way

The Argentine forward has been in sublime form for club and country, but this season he's made it count in the Champions League for Inter Milan. Martinez has scored three times in four games for Inter in the competition this season.

That tally feels even more impressive considering the group Inter have been slotted into. Martinez spent the entire game running the channels and trying to provide an outlet for his team. This is an important function in the Antonio Conte system.

He showed his ability not only to score goals but also to participate effectively in the build up as he picked out Antonio Candreva with a superb cross-field pass and the wing-back would lay the ball off to Vecino for Inter's second goal of the night. It was poetry in motion and Martinez was at the heart of it all.

When Inter struggled in the second half, he didn't see much of the ball and started to get dragged deeper, but regained his spirit once again towards the end of the 90 minutes.

#3 Achraf Hakimi's wakeup call

Hakimi scored a brace in Dortmund's comeback, including the winner

The first half for Dortmund was, kindly put, forgettable. The likes of Mario Gotze, Thorgan Hazard, and Julian Brandt struggled to put together a sequence of passing that would remotely trouble Inter's defence. Witsel struggled to get on the ball and was sent on wild chases by the diminutive Barella.

Achraf Hakimi sent out a very effective wakeup call in the second half starting a move and finishing it with Dortmund's first goal to kickstart what would be a brilliant comeback. Hakimi's movement and ability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck has been evident in Dortmund's last few games. In this one, he did it once again, not only pushing his side but himself scoring two on the night, including the winner to put Dortmund in a promising position for qualification from the group.

#2 Nicolo Barella, the Rolls Royce midfielder

A sad end to what could've been a beautiful game for the Italian midfielder

There were plenty of players who stood out for Inter Milan in the first half. Lautaro Martinez was the most obvious one, but Milan Skriniar and Marcelo Brozovic also showed what Inter were all about. At the centre of it all was Nicolo Barella, who provided an easy passing option out of the back, linked up play with the forwards, and to top it off made some promising runs forward for his teammates to find him in advanced positions.

While the rest of the team seemed to crumble around him in the second 45 minutes, Barella was still effectively taking a few touches to compose himself and trying to find spaces for his team to exploit. He seems to have a Verratti-esque ability to remain calm on the ball even inside his own box and play himself out of trouble.

Once Sensi came onto the pitch, Barella's combination with him played a big role in being able to try and claw back something from the game for Inter even though it was a futile effort in the end.

#1 Pazza Inter

Stefan De Vrij couldn't believe what was unfolding around him

Inter Milan have often been called mad, sometimes even by their own supporters for having the inclination to compromise themselves in the most promising of positions. This ability to complicate even the simplest of tasks has been their downfall a number of times in the past, but with the arrival of Antonio Conte, it was expected to be stamped out of this team.

This game was evidence that the madness may not have been eradicated from this Inter Milan side. Going from a perfectly sane 2-0 advantage and not being able to keep hold of the ball for long periods of the second half to concede three goals in the space of 26 minutes is leaning towards the insane.

There was a definite improvement from Dortmund in the second half, but Inter didn't help themselves by giving the ball away in advanced areas and inviting pressure on themselves.