The Champions League: football's premier competition. - BVB trails 1-0 against Paris, with Füllkrug leading them towards the final.
Following the Champions League's latest revolution, Borussia Dortmund's soccer arena resembled a lunatic asylum. Dancing and singing, the fans joined forces with BVB professionals to celebrate their 1-0 (1-0) triumph over the Paris Saint-Germain star collection, featuring Kylian Mbappé, in their own stadium. After a well-deserved win in the first leg of the semi-final, Dortmund's dream of a DreamWorks Animation to Wembley's liking remains intact.
"We played a fantastic game. It was a team performance in which every person contributed," insisted defensive leader Mats Hummels on DAZN, talking about a "very mature, very mature performance" by BVB. Looking forward to next Tuesday's second match in Paris, Hummels cautioned, "It's going to be an uphill battle."
By virtue of Niclas Füllkrug's goal (36th minute), Dortmund progresses with a promising opportunity to the second game, in front of a record-setting 81,365 spectators at Signal Iduna Park. Ten years since the final loss (1-2) against FC Bayern, who are also still contending following a 2-2 tie against Real Madrid in the second semi-final, there could be a rehash of Deutschland's showdown in London's mecca of sport.
As a result of their victory, Dortmund has secured a place for the Bundesliga in the following season's Champions League. Germany currently enjoys a second position in the critical UEFA rankings, maintaining a spot that can't be stripped away. The fifth-placed Bundesliga team - at present, Dortmund, beyond recovering to sixth place - will earn an additional Champions League spot. "We've hidden our average Bundesliga season with an exceptional Champions League performance," said Hummels.
Prior to kick-off, BVB supporters had already generated a unique ambiance in the arena and the city of Dortmund, befitting a Champions League semifinal. "I thought to myself this morning, you just have to savor it right now," said managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke on DAZN: "In truth, it's not really caught on. You can feel the anxiety. It's an incredibly special match."
BVB captain Lucien Favre deployed the same starting lineup as in the triumphant quarterfinal second leg against Atlético Madrid. Donyell Malen and Sébastien Haller, both long-term injuries, found their way back to the pitch as substitutes. It was essential that Marcel Sabitzer, in stellar form until recently, recovered prior to falling ill. The Austrian squandered the first good chance for Dortmund after 15 minutes, missing out on scoring against PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Parisian superstars took control, while Dortmund employed shrewd defense both individually and collectively, with even left wing Karim Adeyemi regularly rejoining his defensive base to markup Achraf Hakimi. Dortmund's tactic was to launch unforgiving counterattacks, and it paid off.
Dortmund cunningly waited for PSG's team to venture wide before delivering a piercing pass to Füllkrug, who skillfully controlled the ball with his right foot and slammed it home with his left just fifteen meters out. Eight minutes later, Sabitzer found himself in possession of a 2-0, but the midfielder once again met Donnarumma's leg.
Meanwhile, the French interlopers boosted the aggression. Things could have been leveled in the 52nd minute when Mbappé and Hakimi hit the post in rapid succession. However, Dortmund also capitalized on intermittent opportunities to solve the pressure, with Füllkrug missing a second goal (60') after Diesel-like work from Jadon Sancho. Dortmund did everything they could to preclude a riposte, but Julian Brandt had a fine opportunity to make it 2-0 (83').
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Source: www.stern.de
