Niclas Fullkrug’s first-half goal helped Borussia Dortmund take a one-goal lead in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday night at Signal Iduna Park.
Edin Terzic’s side achieved a hard-fought victory against the French champions as his side look to book a place in the Champions League final for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
And they got the match off to a good start, with Fullkrug breaking free of the PSG defense before clinically guiding the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal to put the hosts 1-0 up. Marcel Sabitzer almost doubled the lead before the break with a shot from close range, but the PSG goalkeeper managed to deflect the shot away from him, with excellent reactions.
PSG quickly came out of the blocks in the second half with Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi hitting the woodwork early on. Jadon Sancho also showed off his brilliant footwork, dancing around several PSG players to fire an excellent cross into the visitors’ box, but Fullkrug was unable to push the ball into the back of the net.
Mail Sport’s Pete Jenson offers his player assessments for Wednesday night’s Champions League semi-final clash.
Niclas Fullkrug’s first-half goal helped Borussia Dortmund to a 1-0 victory against PSG.
Edin Terzic’s men now arrive at the Parc des Princes with a one-goal advantage
It was a difficult night for Kylian Mbappé, who was largely inhibited by the Dortmund defence.
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1)
Gregory Kobel – 6
He made a possession gamble in the first half, but got away with it and didn’t get into much action due to PSG’s capricious finishing.
Julian Ryerson – 6.5
Aggressive recoveries and orderly possession. She did everything she could to support Sancho in the future.
Mats Hummels – 7
He handled Mbappe well and led a defense that needed to be at its best on Dortmund’s biggest night of the season.
Gregor Kobel did not intervene much, but made a mistake in the first half.
Mats Hummels was a giant in the Dortmund defense and commanded PSG’s attackers throughout the match.
Ian Maatsen dazzled the German team. The question arises: why did Chelsea send him on loan?
Nico Schlotterbeck – 7.5
Great block at the near post at the end of the first half. An important part of the operation to close Mbappé and keep the course until the second half when PSG began to throw everything forward.
Ian Maatsen – 8
Why is he on loan at Dortmund and not playing for Chelsea? Positive, skillful and direct forward. He was booked heavily for a foul on Zaire-Emery but never let it detract from an impressive display.
Emre can – 6.5
He helped lock down Mbappé in the first half by playing in front of Dortmund’s centre-backs. He played his role in controlling Vitinha.
Marcel Sabitzer – 7
Combative in midfield and tested Donnarumma with a good shot before the break. Legs and quality in Dortmund’s engine room.
Karim Adeyemi – 7
He came back brilliantly to support Maatsen. And it was increasingly a problem for PSG on his right wing. Overtaken by Sancho on the other wing, but good performance.
Karim Adeyemi (right) tracked brilliantly and proved to be a problem on PSG’s right flank.
Julian Brandt lacked killer instinct in finishing and also wasted some passes.
Julian Brandt – 6.5
He tried to weave golden threads from space in front of the PSG defence, but lacked a decisive pass and shot high and wide when well placed to score in the second half.
Jadon Sancho – 8.5
He looked back at his prime. He danced around the inside of the field, frequently causing panic in the PSG defense. He then showed that he could also go outside, passing Nuno and leaving Fullkrug with a golden opportunity to double the lead.
Niclas Fullkrug – 7
Lack of touches and much less chances in the first half, but the first opportunity he had he buried with minimal effort. Then the opportunities followed one after another… and he missed them all.
Jadon Sancho (left) returned to his best level and was a nuisance for PSG all night on the wing
Fullkrug cleverly took advantage of his opportunity to put Dortmund ahead and achieve a clinical finish.
Subs
frame Reus (by Adeyemi, 65) – 7
Marius Wolf (for Ryerson 87)
Félix Nmecha (by Brandt 87)
Moukoko (for Fullkrug 91)
PSG (4-2-3-1)
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5
Well saved at his near post on Dortmund’s first opportunity. He may have been slow to get down for the first goal, but this was not a repeat of his nightmare in the first leg of the quarter-final against Barcelona.
Achraf Hakimi – 7
He was largely confined to defensive duties from the start, trying, and not always succeeding, to deal with Adeyemi and Maatsen. More adventurous second half and hit the post.
Marquinhos – 6.5
He played Fullkrug wide and then lost him behind him for the first goal. PSG’s defense still has a soft center after so many years of spending.
Lucas Hernandez – 6
He was slow to reach Fullkrug, attacking too late and injuring himself in the process. He limped off before halftime.
Gianluigi Donnarumma enjoyed a mixed game and could have stopped Dortmund’s goal
Lucas Hernández (below) was injured when trying to dive to prevent Fullkrug’s goal
Marquinhos (left) endured a difficult game and was partly to blame for Dortmund’s goal
Achraf Hakimi (left) with his hands full dealing with Dortmund’s Adeyemi (right) during the match
Nuño Mendes – 6
He lost the battle with Sancho. And he was so busy defensively that he couldn’t offer any threat going forward.
Warren Zaire-Emery – 6
He worked hard in midfield and played some good long passes forward, but never imposed his authority on the game. Shy.
Vitina – 6
The metronome of Luis Enrique’s midfield. Great talent that he helped direct the first half of the match for the French team, but his influence faded.
Vitinha was excellent in PSG’s midfield, but his influence diminished as the match progressed.
Warren Zaire-Emery (left) worked hard but was unable to impose his authority on the game.
Fabian Ruiz – 6.5
Guilty in the first half of always looking for Mbappé when there were less marked options. He had a header from close range but was unable to deflect the ball towards the goal.
Ousamane Dembélé – 6.5
If all shots were goals, no player would score more. He was never afraid to try, but his aim missed too often. He tried with a headbutt, but he didn’t seem to test Kobel either. Final product was missing.
Kylian Mbappé – 6.5
Like the biblical Samson with his hair cut off when he gets boxed in the first half. He found more space to gallop into wider areas after the break but hit the post with his best chance.
Ousamane Dembélé (left) lacked final product during the match and wasted several important opportunities.
Bradley Barcola (left) struggled to recover the ball and was substituted after the break.
Bradley Barcola – 6
He saw little of the ball since the vast majority of PSG’s attacks came from Dembélé’s right wing. Taken out in the second half.
Subs
Lucas Beraldo (by Lucas Hernández, 41) – 6
Randal Kolo Muani (by Barcola, 65) – 6