Niclas Fullkrug scored the first-half winner as Borussia Dortmund secured a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Germany.
Nico Schlotterbeck ran a pass into the path of Fullkrug and the German international brought the ball into his grasp with a wonderful touch before firing a low shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.
PSG, newly crowned Ligue 1 champions and desperate to win their first Champions League trophy, found it difficult to compete against a disciplined German defense, particularly in the first half when striker Kylian Mbappe was largely neutralized.
However, Luis Enrique’s men improved after the break and hit the woodwork twice within moments in the 51st minute.
Mbappe curled a shot against the right post before Achraf Hakimi fired a shot against the other post on the rebound, allowing Edin Terzic’s hosts to survive a major scare.
5 – Borussia Dortmund kept their fifth clean sheet in the Champions League this season, more than any other team. Wall. pic.twitter.com/UuYwIdkqH8
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) May 1, 2024
Just four minutes later, Fabian Ruiz sailed past the goal with his header completely unmolested in the penalty area, and in the 71st minute, Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel parried a shot from Ousmane Dembélé from close range.
Dortmund, Champions League winners in 1997 and looking for their first final appearance since 2013, had to bear the pressure when PSG’s Vitinha narrowly missed the target 10 minutes later and the French needed a win in Paris next week.
The Bundesliga club could have even extended their lead in the final phase when Fullkrug shot over the top after an assist from the outstanding Jadon Sancho and Marquinhos Julian Brandt parried with a heroic block.
The teams meet again at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday, with the winner of the tie facing either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the final at Wembley, who drew 2-2 in their own first leg on Tuesday.
FT: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 PSG
Advantage Dortmund in this UCL semi-final at the end of an exciting 90 minutes.
However, PSG have advanced in two of their last four Champions League knockout games by losing the first leg, the first of which came against BVB in 2019/20. pic.twitter.com/ieKm0oNBUB
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) May 1, 2024