Dortmund draw to finish top; Leverkusen limp through in second
After leading Dortmund to a win against Hoffenheim on Friday night in the Bundesliga, Jürgen Klopp made six changes to his starting eleven against Anderlecht - the most notable of which was the first start of the season for Nuri Sahin.
With Arsenal taking an early lead in Turkey, Dortmund knew a defeat would tip the scales for top spot out of their favor. Ciro Immobile's shot on the turn forced a good save out of Anderlecht goalkeeper and captain Sylvio Proto, before Dortmund's own goalkeeper, Langerak made a smart one-on-one save to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Proto was on hand again to first deny Shinji Kagawa with a fine reflex save, before denying Immobile again. In tune with the nature of the game, then Anderlecht had another chance on goal - Sasa Kljestan firing over with Langerak seemingly beaten. The first half ended with Ibrahima Conte looking for a penalty after a challenge from Nuri Sahin, but he was denied one and the first 45 minutes ended without any goalscorers.
Ilkay Gündogan continued to pull the strings in midfield, but Proto kept responding to keep Anderlecht level. That was until just before the hour mark when a smart pass from Sahin was tucked away by Ciro Immobile - the Italian's fourth Champions League goal in five games.
As frustrated a figure as Proto was, he returned to making saves - twice denying a confidence-sapped Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Dortmund's inability to take their chances came back to haunt them again though when Anderlecht got an equaliser in the final 10 minutes. Great work on the right wing by Anthony Vanden Borre ended in a cross that Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in from close range.
There was no late drama as Dortmund held onto a draw that saw them finish top of their group for the second consecutive year.
