Borussia Dortmund remains an amazing football team this season, even in the semi-finals of the Champions League, this ensemble, which is so capricious in the Bundesliga, does not seem to have reached its limits. In a thrilling premier class game, BVB won 1-0 against Paris Saint-Germain with a goal from Niclas Füllkrug. A place in the final is actually within reach after this strong performance, on an evening that will be remembered for a long time.
There was a stunning atmosphere and the importance of the game created enormous intensity in the huge stadium. Every throw-in that Dortmund fought for, every good pass was celebrated, the full potential of this arena was clearly noticeable. At the same time, there was a clear intention in the Dortmund game not to make any mistakes under any circumstances. A balancing act, because there is no question that Paris Saint-Germain is the much better team individually. But Dortmund knew exactly what they were doing.
“Be aggressive, intense, resilient and ready to invest everything,” is how coach Edin Terzic described the key points in his team’s approach. “Then we get the little bit of luck that you need on these days against a team like PSG.”
Chances to score remained rare
That’s pretty much exactly what happened in this game, in which BVB once again had all the important players in the squad; Compared to the game in Leipzig last weekend, Emre Can and Ian Maatsen (both of whom were suspended) returned to the starting line-up, and Marcel Sabitzer, who was recently injured, was also there again.
Even Donyell Malen was part of the squad, and yet the greater maturity of the French was often visible. They applied pressure and were on the ball a lot, but Dortmund acted with passion, helped each other and worked with dedication.
This is one of the reasons why chances to score remained rare at first, but the longer the game lasted, the greater advantages BVB gained in the statistical category of “scoring chances”. PSG was able to counter an opportunity from Sabitzer from a tight angle (11th minute) and a blocked long-range shot from Julian Brandt (29th) with a good shot from Ousmane Dembélé before Dortmund took the lead.
Dortmund determination: Niclas Füllkrug holds his own against Lucas Hernandez and completes the advance with the goal to make it 1-0.Reuters
There were also several situations in the penalty area without a shot in front of the Dortmund goal, which appeared stable. The idea that has been formulated again and again that a knockout duel in the Champions League consists of four halves and therefore requires patience and persistence was clearly present in this exchange, but that did not stop Nico Schlotterbeck from playing in the 36th minute . Minutes to hit a long pass to Niclas Füllkrug in the storm center.
The striker received the ball perfectly with his right and scored with a powerful left-foot shot to make it 1-0. This goal had an impact on the Parisians, who temporarily lost their structure in the offensive. BVB had another good chance before half-time when Sabitzer volleyed from ten meters and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma quickly cleared it (44′). That was the end of the first quarter of this semi-final, and the second should have a different character.
The Parisians became more dangerous after the break and were unlucky when Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi each hit the inside post of Dortmund’s goal within a few seconds (52′). But this was also followed by a response from Borussia. Füllkrug shot centrally after a cross pass from Jadon Sancho, but put the ball over the crossbar (61′). It is extremely rare to see even clearer opportunities at this level.
And yet this action helped. As in the first half, Dortmund freed themselves from a really difficult phase with a good reaction and ended a period of pressure from PSG with their own threat to score.
It was now an open game, Dembélé missed two opportunities (72nd, 80th) while Dortmund’s strength dwindled. But they saved themselves over time with determined commitment and were able to celebrate a great success: With this victory, BVB not only created a good starting position for the second leg, but also – almost incidentally – also achieved the most important goal of the season.
Thanks to this success, it is clear that the fifth-place team in the Bundesliga can also take part in the Champions League next season. After FC Bayern’s 2-2 draw against Real Madrid on Tuesday and this 1-0 win, Germany has now scored enough points to no longer be overtaken by the English in the UEFA rankings; Even France can no longer overtake PSG’s defeat. But of course Dortmund want more: to take part in the final at Wembley.