Champions League: Füllkrug hands Dortmund first-leg lead
Borussia Dortmund’s players celebrate Niclas Füllkrug’s goal
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
(Füllkrug 36′)
Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund will take a precious lead into the Champions League semifinal second leg in Paris next week after Niclas Füllkrug’s stunning first-half strike proved the winner in Wednesday night’s first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Ten minutes before half-time, central defender Nico Schlotterbeck exposed PSG’s high defensive line with a long ball over the top which Füllkrug brought down with a cushioned first touch before firing emphatically past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Dortmund a different proposition in Europe
Frustratingly inconsistent in the Bundesliga this season, Dortmund have been a completely different proposition in the Champions League, winning a tough group – which included PSG – before seeing off Atletico Madrid in a spectacular quarterfinal.
And the European BVB were back on show again on Wednesday night.
Jadon Sancho, who has been slowly returning to form in Dortmund on loan from Manchester United, produced his best display yet: confident on the ball in midfield and full of pace and trickery on the right wing in a man-of-the-match performance.
On the left, German international Karim Adeyemi put in an impressive shift both offensively and defensively while, at the back, Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck kept superstar Parisian striker Kylian Mbappé as quiet as is possible.
Woodwork twice denies PSG
But freshly-crowned French champions PSG didn’t come into this tie as favorites for no reason, having produced a dramatic comeback to knock out Barcelona in the previous round.
Trailing at half-time, Luis Enrique’s side came flying out of the blocks in the second half and hit the post twice in the space of 30 seconds. First, Mbappé curled an effort onto Gregor Kobel’s left-hand post before, in the scene that followed, Achraf Hakimi hit the right-hand post.
Further chances followed for Ousmane Dembelé and Vitinha as PSG pressed for what would have been a deserved equalizer.
But Dortmund also had chances to increase their lead, with Sancho continuing to twist Nuno Mendes inside out down the right before cutting back to Füllkrug who fired over.
Then, when the outstanding Sancho threaded a pass through to Julian Brandt, the German midfielder opted to take a touch rather than shoot first time, allowing Marquinhos to slide in and block.
Backed by a raucous capacity crowd at the Westfalenstadion, Edin Terzic’s side hung on and will now take a precious advantage into next week’s second leg.
Edited by: Mark Hallam
Author: Matt Ford