Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain (May 2, 2024) Match analysis –

Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Füllkrug scored a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visiting Paris Saint-Germain in a thrilling Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Nico Schlotterbeck threw a pass into Fullkrug’s path and the German striker controlled the ball with a perfect first touch before firing a low shot past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.

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PSG, newly crowned Ligue 1 champions and desperate to win their first Champions League trophy, found it difficult to face a disciplined German defense, especially in the first half with striker Kylian Mbappé all but neutralized.

With the second leg in Paris next Tuesday, the tie winners will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who drew 2-2 in their first leg in Germany, in the final at London’s Wembley Stadium on 1 of June.

“It was a well-deserved victory, a good team performance,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. “We could have scored more goals, but so did they.

“Therefore, from my point of view, the result is good. We ran a lot, but that is necessary in a game like this.

“We have to earn our way to Wembley. All we need now is a draw in the second leg, but we also want to win next week.”

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The victory also confirmed that Germany will earn a fifth qualifying spot for next season’s Champions League, with Dortmund the main beneficiary at the moment, sitting in fifth place in the Bundesliga with three games left.

Dortmund came close shortly before the break with Marcel Sabitzer, but his shot was blocked by Donnaruma. The French team improved after the break and came awfully close to tying in the 52nd minute with Mbappé’s shot at the far post and then Achraf Hakimi also hit the rebound off the post.

“We saw an even match with two teams that play good football when they have the ball,” Luis Enrique said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“We both created many scoring chances. This time our rivals scored and we didn’t. The result reflects how close the game was.”

Four minutes later, Fabián Ruiz saw his header deflected after being left completely unmarked in the area before Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved a point-blank shot from Ousmane Dembélé in the 71st.

Dortmund, winners in 1997 and looking to reach their first final since 2013, absorbed the pressure when PSG’s Vitinha narrowly missed the goal 10 minutes later.

“In the last two days they played the home game as a second game, while for us it was the other way around,” added Luis Enrique. “Now it is a new and different scenario, we will have the public on our side in the second leg.

“I would have liked to create the chances we created, but you have to be effective to score. We will see which version we show in Paris.”