Borussia Dortmund Claims 1-0 First-Leg Win Against PSG
Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visitors Paris St Germain (PSG) in a compelling UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany.
The hosts started with Fullkrug in attack with Karim Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho supporting on the wings. For the visitors, star player Kylian Mbappe led the line, while Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcole were on the flanks.
Dortmund took the lead in the 36th minute when defender Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fuellkrug’s path and the Germany forward controlled the ball with a perfect first touch before drilling a low shot past keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG, fresh from being crowned Ligue 1 champions and desperate to win their first ever Champions League trophy, found it hard going against a disciplined German defence, especially in the first half with forward Kylian Mbappe largely neutralised.
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The French side improved after the break and went agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 52nd minute with Mbappe curling a shot onto the far post and then Achraf Hakimi also hitting the woodwork on the rebound.
Four minutes later Fabian Ruiz saw his stooping header sail wide after being left completely unmarked in the box before Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel kept out Ousmane Dembele’s close range effort in the 71st.
The match however finished 1-0 in favour of Borussia Dortmund as both sides could not find the net in the second half.
Dortmund take a lead to Paris! ⚫🟡#UCL pic.twitter.com/3pooJb9nrz
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 1, 2024
“It was a well-deserved win, a good team performance,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. “We could have scored more goals, but so could they.”
“That’s why the result is OK from my point of view. We ran a lot, but that’s necessary in a game like this. You have to earn your way to Wembley. All we need now is a draw in the second leg, but we also want to win next week.”
The win also confirmed Germany will get a fifth qualifying spot for next season’s UEFA Champions League, with Dortmund being the main beneficiaries at the moment, sitting in fifth place in the Bundesliga with three games left to play.
With the return leg in Paris next Tuesday, the winners of the tie will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who drew 2-2 in their first leg in Germany. The final will be played at Wembley on June 1st.
