Niclas Fullkrug’s sensational goal was the difference in a thrilling end-to-end tie, they head to Paris next week with a slight advantage.
Embed from Getty ImagesBorussia Dortmund defied the odds and got a postive first-leg result against PSG. Fullkrug’s finish won the game in the end but it was Dortmund’s defensive duties that ultimately saw them keep their Champions League hope alive, with Mats Hummels earning himself the Man of the Match award. The 81,365 Dortmund fans played their part too in a hard fought victory for Edin Terzic’s side.
After a quiet first half from the visitors they suddenly sprung into life, Kylian Mbappe’s curling strike looked destined for the back of the net but instead it struck the inside of the post. It seemed then that it just wasn’t PSG’s night, that was reinforced just seconds later as Hakimi hit the inside of the opposite post and still couldn’t equalise.
Despite being the underdogs, Borussia Dortmund started the match on top with a couple chances to take the lead. Jadon Sancho linked up with Julian Brandt after dispossessing Nuno Mendes. It eventually came Marcel Sabitzer who’s shot was parried away by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Brandt and Sancho were among most of the action in the first half, causing Mendes all sorts of problem’s on the right flank. Brandt’s first-time strike was blocked by Marquinhos but not cleared. The ball found it’s way back into PSG’s penalty area, Hakimi’s clearance was mis-kicked, conceding a corner, but in the end the danger passed.
Embed from Getty ImagesDortmund’s persistence paid off in the 36th minute as Nico Schlotterback launched a superb ball over the top of PSG’s defence for Fullkrug to get on the end of. The German striker dealt with PSG’s high line by curving his run to stay on side, before plucking the ball out of the sky and darting towards goal.
Lucas Hernandez was chasing the striker but Fullkrug shrugged him off without any trouble and placed the ball into the bottom left corner beyond Donnarumma who had already committed to diving towards the far post. A clever finish to put Dortmund ahead and a goal that had been coming.
The home side were rewarded for their efforts and came close to a second before the break as Karim Adeyemi’s cross found its way to Sabitzer. The Austrian midfielder lashed a volley towards goal but Donnarumma somehow managed to save the strike.
Embed from Getty ImagesPSG never really got a look in at goal in the first half, in fact they failed to register a shot on target in the first 45 minutes. Ousmane Dembele had two half chances in the first 20 minutes but after that the French side never got close enough to the attacking third to cause a threat.
Dembele’s first chance was a low-driven effort from the edge of the box that dragged just wide after beating his marker well, and the second was created by Achraf Hakimi who cut it back for Dembele. He aimed for the top corner this time but it didn’t change the end result – off target and out for a goal kick. The main man Kylian Mbappe was nowhere to be seen in the first half either.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the second half the visitors were much better in front of goal and were unlucky not to at least equalise. They had a flurry of chances at the start of the second half, striking the inside of either post twice in one move.
Mbappe sprung into life quickly, cutting inside past Sabitzer before looking to bend his shot into the far corner. Mbappe had beaten Gregor Kobel but fortunately for the Swiss goalkeeper, the shot rattled against the post and back into play.
Dortmund weren’t able to clear and the ball reached Bradley Barcola who teed up Hakimi for another shot at goal, which somehow again hit the inside of the post and not the back of the net. Incredibly unfortunate from a PSG point of view, for Dortmund though a big sigh of relief.
Five minutes later, PSG came bursting forward again, growing into the game quickly. The captain Marquinhos had pushed forward and crossed the ball into a dangerous area, giving Fabian Ruiz a golden chance to equalise, but the Spaniard’s close-range header was off target.
Embed from Getty ImagesDortmund were no doubt lucky to still be in the lead but once they had weathered the PSG storm, they were straight back to relentlessly attacking themselves. Fabian Ruiz’s miss was followed by a bombardment of the PSG penalty area.
Brandt was set up on the half volley in a good area by Fullkrug but skewed his shot wide before Fullkrug missed a chance of his own less than a minute later. Sancho was causing havoc on the wing again, easily beating Mendes and cutting it back to Fullkrug who had the goal gaping in front of him. The Dortmund striker was leaning back as he took the shot though and it sailed over the bar.
Although Dortmund had wasted chances of their own, they will have felt hard done by for the penalty call. It seemed clear that as Fullkrug jumped up to head the ball, Mendes gave him enough of a nudge mid-air to put him off balance and miss the header. Anthony Taylor didn’t think it was enough though and refused to point to the spot, his decision was backed by VAR and it remained 1-0.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe tie developed into an end-to-end affair in the second half and the action was back up the other end until the full time whistle. Dortmund were forced to protect their narrow lead once more and did just that.
Kobel pulled out a superb save to deny Dembele the equaliser. Mbappe was the unlikely creator, he chipped the ball over multiple of the Dortmund defender’s outstretched legs to reach Dembele.
The former Barcelona forward’s shot was into the ground, making it a tricky stop for Kobel but he managed to get a hand to it and Maatsen reacting quickly to head the ball away, eliminating any further danger.
Embed from Getty ImagesPSG’S final chance of the evening fell to Dembele and once again he couldn’t find the back of the net. Hakimi raced in behind the Dortmund defence, cut the ball back to Dembele for him to hit first time and then it all went pear-shaped. He should have at least hit the target but blazed his shot over the bar.
Fullkrug’s goal was the difference but what a performance from Jadon Sancho, he looked reborn on that Champions League stage. PSG had their chances but a lack of ruthlessness cost them. How much it will cost them we are yet to find out, that will become apparent next week in the second leg but tonight the outstanding underdogs came out on top.
Dortmund have never scored against PSG away from home but if they defend well enough they might not have to. They have the edge heading into next week’s deciding match, with a place in the final against Bayern Munich or Real Madrid up for grabs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe line-ups
Borussia Dortmund – Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson (Marius Wolf 87’), Mats Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ian Maatsen, Marcel Sabitzer, Emre Can, Jadon Sancho, Julian Brandt (Felix Nmecha 87’), Karim Adeyemi (Marco Reus 83’), Niclas Fullkrug (Youssoufa Moukoko 90+1’)
PSG – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nuno Mendes, Lucas Hernandez (Lucas Beraldo 42’), Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Warren Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola (Randal Kolo Muani 65’), Kylian Mbappe
Bookings
Borussia Dortmund – Ian Maatsen (19’), Nico Schlotterbeck (73’)
PSG – Fabian Ruiz (53’)
Man of the Match: Mats Hummels
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Written by Isabelle Newnham
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