Having watched PSG progress last night, Lille took inspiration from their compatriots to race into the lead inside five minutes here.
Ismaily drove forward from the halfway line down the wing and cut back to Jonathan David, whose tame, low drive inexplicably went through the hands and between the legs of Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
The visitors were on the ropes and could have been two down had Rémy Cabella been able to control his volley, but Die Schwarzgelben soon established a foothold, creating a flurry of chances that remarkably didn’t result in a goal.
Serhou Guirassy created the first, driving from midfield and slotting in Pascal Groß, who saw his shot kept out by a combination of Lucas Chevalier’s fingertips and a goalline block from Alexsandro.
The Lille stopper tipped Julian Ryerson’s effort around the post soon afterwards, but his best moment came from the resulting corner.
Chevalier made a miraculous double save to deny Julian Brandt’s header and Guirassy’s point-blank rebound, before Benjamin André scrambled to block another Brandt effort on the line.
André then headed a gilt-edged chance wide at the other end, before Groß headed against the bar as a thrilling first half somehow ended with only one side on the scoresheet.
Undeterred, Niko Kovač’s men pressed forward again after the restart, and were rewarded with a penalty when former Dortmund defender Thomas Meunier brought Guirassy down.
Emre Can kept his cool to fire down the middle from 12 yards and restore parity both on the night and in the tie, which was then preserved when Kobel made a good save to tip Hákon Arnar Haraldsson’s effort over the bar.
That was a rare moment of respite for Lille, who were immediately under pressure again with Karim Adeyemi’s effort grazing the bar before Maximilian Beier headed wide.
Beier made no such mistake again, receiving the ball inside the box from Guirassy and smashing an effort into the top corner to put Dortmund into the lead.
David and Chuba Akpom both fired straight at Kobel as Lille attempted to stage a comeback, but Dortmund ultimately held firm to secure progression.
The UCL continues to provide a welcome distraction from their faltering domestic campaign, though the in-form Barcelona will provide a stern test in the quarter-finals.
Lille bow out thanks to just a third defeat in their last 17 home matches across all competitions, with their attention now turned to qualifying for the UCL through their league finish.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)