Borussia Dortmund are halfway to their first Champions League final since 2013 after securing a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg of their last four encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.
Niclas Fullkrug scored the only goal of the game with a clinical first half finish, while Jadon Sancho was back to something like his best as his loan from Manchester United nears its end.
There could have been a lot more goals at either end, with both teams creating plenty of chances, particularly as the game wore on. But it is Dortmund who lead the tie and PSG who have work to do.
How the game unfolded
With Dortmund’s famous Yellow Wall in fine voice, neither side was prepared to give an inch as the tie got underway. For all the attacking talent spread throughout both teams, it was defence that was king in the early stages as prospective attacks at each end were snuffed out at will.
As things started to loosen up, Gianluigi Donnarumma made a good save from Marcel Sabitzer’s tight-angled shot after being played in by Sancho, while Ousmane Dembele fired just wide from the edge of the box against his former club after cutting in from the right.
Dortmund threatened at the half hour mark when Julian Brandt was found by Sancho, with the subsequent drive from 20 yards blocked bravely by Marquinhos.
But the 36th minute opener soon after almost came out of nowhere, the result of a pinpoint long ball from back to front from Nico Schlotterbeck. Fullkrug timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and the goal was ultimately made by an unworldly first touch that took the ball out of the sky and into his stride, before unleashing a powerful low finish past Donnarumma at the near post.
PSG, having lost Lucas Hernandez to injury, then had Donnarumma to thank for keeping the deficit at one goal before half-time, parrying Sabitzer’s low volley away in the centre of the goal as Dortmund finished the opening 45 minutes in the lead and on top.
The visitors couldn’t believe they didn’t draw level, not once but twice, five minutes after the restart. Kylian Mbappe did well to make space for a shot on the left-hand side of the box, stroking the ball towards the far corner and watching it agonisingly come back off the inside of the post. He kept it alive as Achraf Hakimi had an attempt seconds later that struck the inside of the other post. There was quickly another let off when Fabian Ruiz got free and headed a close-range chance wide.
In a bid to stop PSG’s momentum, Dortmund tried to…
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