Borussia Dortmund faced a tall task in their Champions League Quarter-Final second leg, aiming to overcome a 3-2 first leg home defeat against AS Monaco.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao for the home side got things going before Marcos Reus' pulled one back early in the second half to hint at a possible comeback. Substitute Valere Germain hit a third for Monaco with his first touch, delivering the final knockout blow to Dortmund.
Monaco ruthless
The Germans got off on the wrong foot when Kylian Mbappe continued to impress world football by bagging yet another goal on the big stage. Benjamin Mendy's long range effort stung the palms of Roman Bürki and the rebound fell straight to the feet of Mbappe, who made no mistake from close range.
Dortmund's deficit was extended to 4-2 on aggregate in the opening moments of the game, the worst possible start for Thomas Tuchel's side.
While the visitors held the majority of the possession in the opening stages of the game, they failed to make any of it count. Their best chance of the first half fell to Nuri Sahin, who smashed the post with a wonderfully curled freekick. Sahin would rue that missed chance as Monaco went 2-0 up before the 20 minute mark. Thomas Lemar's cross from the left-hand side found the head of Radamel Falcao, who powered the ball past Bürki.
Monaco's ruthlessness was the story of the first half as they hit Dortmund twice inside 20 minutes to take a 2-0 lead on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
Dortmund fall short
With the hosts holding what seemed a comfortable lead, Dortmund needed three to send the tie to extra time and they began the fight back with three minutes gone in the second half. A mazy run from Ousmane Dembele turned Mendy inside out before his cross found Marco Reus, who lifted the ball past Danijel Subasic to make it 2-1.
Dortmund would not quit in the second half but were almost made to pay for their commitment to going forward on two separate occasions. Mbappe's run through the defence saw the goal open up for him but his tame shot was saved. Just after the hour mark, Falcao had a chance to put the tie to bed after beating the offside trap but his chip beat the keeper but kept rising.
The hosts continued to invite pressure before countering with pace and Mbappe found himself with yet another chance on 69 minutes but his low-driven effort was tipped wide of the far post.
Monaco wrapped things up with eight minutes left after Valere Germain entered the fray and scored with his very first touch since coming on for Mbappe. A mistake from Lukasz Piszczek gifted the ball to Lemar, who found Germain with his cross and the 12-year Monaco veteran sealed his club's place in the Champions League Semi-Final.
A 3-1 win on the night and a 6-3 win on aggregate for the French side while Dortmund's European run ends at the Quarter Final stage. A complete performance from Monaco, who looked exceptional in attack as they took advantage of a Dortmund side who were always chasing the result. It was one of the more exhilirating ties of the Quarter Finals as the goals kept coming and the young stars continued to shine for both sides.