Dortmund Reaches Champions League Final After Beating PSG
Borussia Dortmund reached its third UEFA Champions League final after Mats Hummels’ second-half header earned the visitors a 1-0 victory against Paris St Germain (PSG), winning 2-0 aggregate at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France.
The hosts started with Goncalo Ramos in attack, with star forward Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele supporting on the wings. For the visitors, Niclas Fullkrug led the line while Karim Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho were on the flanks.
PSG started stronger as Mbappe had their first chance in the seventh minute with a half-volley as the hosts piled on the pressure. However, the visitors were composed and held firm. Their confidence grew and they had their first opportunity through defender Julian Ryerson, whose shot hit the side netting.
After a sharp counter attack following a woeful Mbappe miss, PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a brilliant save to deny Dortmund’s Adeyemi.
Luis Enrique’s side stepped up a gear after the break with Warren Zaire Emery’s shot hitting the outside of the post after Mbappe’s attempt was deflected into his path by Ramos.
But Dortmund were more clinical as Hummels headed home from Julian Brandt’s corner five minutes after the interval to give the Germans the lead.
PSG looked for a way back into the game as Ramos’s shot on the turn went just over the bar and Nuno Mendes’s 25-metre missile hit the post as PSG reacted swiftly.
Another Mbappe attempt was deflected onto the bar, before Vitinha’s powerful shot also hit the woodwork. However, the score remained 1-0 in favour of Dortmund as the referee blew the final whistle, with the Germans claiming a famous victory away from home.
DORTMUND HAVE DONE IT! 🖤💛#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/vy9XTFuAKO
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 7, 2024
“I am very proud, very happy. We beat PSG and we kept a clean sheet. We had a bit of luck but we deserve to go to the final,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
Luis Enrique’s PSG hit the woodwork four times but failed to find the net as Mbappe, who is widely expected to leave at the end of the season, was a shadow of his usual brilliant self.
“We lacked efficiency,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “There are still positives to take from this competition. At the beginning nobody thought we would go that far. We’re out in the semi-finals but with a new coach and a new project.”
Borussia Dortmund, who won the Champions League in 1997, will meet either 14-time champions Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, in the June 1st showdown at Wembley.
