Borussia Dortmund Defeats PSG For Place In Champions League Final

At the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund pulled off the ideal robbery to defeat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 (2-0 on aggregate), securing their spot in the Champions League final.

Borussia Dortmund brought a same starting lineup to Paris, carrying a razor-thin one-goal lead from the first leg in Germany. With a low block to defend their 18-yard box and a counterattack against PSG, Edin Terzic‘s team executed a well-defined plan from the off.

While controlling the ball for the majority of the first half, the home team was unable to break through Dortmund’s resilient defense. When full-back Julian Ryerson attempted to score after latching onto a Niclas Fullkrug lay-off, he fired into the side netting, which was actually the closest the Bundesliga team came to grabbing the lead.

Gianluigi Donnarumma had to make a good stop later in the half to deny Karim Adeyemi, who was leading a swift counterattack alongside Fullkrug.

After some deft footwork by Mbappe, the Frenchman found Fabian Ruiz on the edge of the box, but his powerful drive took a nasty deflection and went wide of the post. It seemed as though that had ignited PSG’s momentum.

FULL-TIME CELEBRATIONS: Mats Hummels fires Dortmund into Champions League final 💛🖤

PSG laments lost opportunities

After the interval, PSG went into overdrive and inexplicably wasted two excellent opportunities in a short period of time.

The Portuguese were unable to make a proper connection with Mbappe’s deft cross that veered into Goncalo Ramos‘ path. Warren Zaire-Emery, then 17, was first to get a good look at the far post, but his shot hit the post while the goal was clearly open.

Borussia Dortmund then delivered them a severe blow in just two minutes. Mats Hummels was the recipient of a perfectly placed corner kick from Julian Brandt, and the seasoned center back headed in from six yards out with no hesitation.

PSG had numerous opportunities to pull one back, but Ramos, who was having a bad game, scored twice in a row. PSG needed two goals to send the game into overtime.

Nuno Mendes’ long-range shot hit the post on the hour mark, but the Ligue 1 winners didn’t stop turning the screw and hit the woodwork for the fourth time in the two-leg match.

While his rival, Luis Enrique, strengthened his defense by bringing Niklas Sule into the game, Marco Asensio and Bradley Barcola launched an all-out onslaught.

Mbappe’s impact was limited by Dortmund’s strong defense, though, and the visitors let out raucous celebrations when the final whistle blew.

Remarkably, as they bemoaned their misfortune with the woodwork, PSG went on to score twice more through Mbappe and Vitinha.

If Real Madrid defeats Bayern Munich in their semi-final second leg on Wednesday, they now know that it will be the Bundesliga team—not Mbappe—that awaits them at Wembley on June 1.