Borussia Dortmund punish wasteful PSG to reach Champions League final
Dortmund's Mats Hummels celebrates with teammates after scoring the winner. Pic credit: AP Photo/Christophe Ena.
KYLIAN Mbappe’s hopes of leading Paris Saint-Germain to a first success in the Champions League before the striker’s expected departure this summer disappeared as Borussia Dortmund claimed an unexpected place in next month’s Wembley final.
Mats Hummels’s second half header, together with PSG’s failure to make more of a succession of chances, was enough to secure a second leg victory for the Bundesliga side.
Dortmund were rewarded for two committed, well drilled displays over the course of the semi-finals while the French side were left to wonder how they had failed to score in either game.
Over the course of the two legs, PSG hit the woodwork six times - four times last night - and had 45 attempts on goal.
They lacked the cutting edge to make more of the opportunities that came their way, however, and it was Dortmund who can claim to have deservedly progressed to the final for the first time since 2013.
PSG had already demonstrated their powers of recovery in the quarter-finals when they recovered after losing at home to Barcelona to reach the last four on the back of an outstanding 4-1 win in Catalonia.
Enrique preached patience ahead of the game, insisting the focus should remain on simply winning the game rather than being daunted by the need to score twice.
His players, though, seemed intent on getting the job done early.
Unsurprisingly the home side wasted no time in taking the game to the German club with Goncalo Ramo quickly bringing Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel into action.
Mbappe did the same, directing a seventh minute volley straight at Kobel and PSG sought the early breakthrough.
There was an urgency to the French side’s play as they moved to close Dortmund down quickly, giving the visitors little time to settle.
Yet for all their high tempo efforts, Enrique’s side struggled to create the clear opening that would have brought them level in the tie.
Dortmund manager Edin Terzic had claimed his side would have to improve on their first leg showing if they were to go through and he could be satisfied with the way they kept PSG at bay during the opening half hour while offering their own threat, particularly on the counter.
Sancho again looked sharp on the right and Karim Adeyemi offered a similar flank on the opposite flank.
Their first chance, though came after Fullkrug was the target of a long throw and laid the ball back for Julian Ryerson to connect with a powerful half-volley that crashed into the side netting.
Mbappe’s influence on the game grew as the first half progressed and a typically elusive run took the France international past three players before working the ball to Warren Zaire-Emery.
The youngster moved the ball on to Ousmane Dembele who sliced his shot wide, summing up the home side’s lack of composure in front of goal.
There was further evidence of their failure to find the final ball when Fabian Ruiz’s attempted cut-back to Mbappe was nicked away from the striker’s feet by a superbly timed tackle from Mats Hummels.
Within seconds Dortmund were on the counter with Adeyemi making his way into the PSG box before he was denied by an outstanding save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The fact that was the best chance of the first half demonstrated both the disciplined nature of Dortmund’s defensive play and the deficiencies of the home side’s attacking efforts.
It was clear Enrique’s side would have to find a more effective cutting edge if they were to work there way back into the tie. The early signs after the break suggested this would be beyond them, however.
The second half was just two minutes old when Mbappe whipped in a cross that Ramos somehow managed to hook the ball away from goal, inadvertently diverting it towards Zaire-Emery who could only find the outside of the post.
It felt like a costly miss, even more so when Hummels headed Dortmund ahead three minutes later from a Julian Brandt corner.
The centre-back simply moved away from his marker to rise at the far post and head downwards past Donnarumma.
PSG responded with Ramos shooting over and Nuno Mednes firing a left foot shot against the post.
But there evening was summed up when Dembele was brought down by Hummels and after initially pointing to the spot, referee Daniele Orsato decided contact had been made just outside the box.
The French club upped their efforts in the final stages of the game and Mbappe and Vitinha both hit the bar.
But their evening was summed up when Mbappe raced clear in the final seconds only to slip and go crashing to the ground.
Donnarumma 6; Hakimi 6, Beraldo 6, Marquinhos 7, Mendes 6; Zaire-Emery 6 (Lee 76, 6), Vitinha 6, Ruiz 6 ( Asensio 63, 6); Dembele 5, Ramos 5 (Barcola 63, 6), Mbappe 6.
Navas, Tenas, Danilo, Ugarte, Mukiele, Skriniar, Zague, Kolo Muani, Soler.
Kobel 6; Ryerson 7, Hummels 9, Schlotterbeck 8, Maatsen 7; Sabitzer 7, Can 7; Sancho 6 (Sule 67, 6), Brandt 6 (Nmecha 85, 6), Adeyemi 7 (Reus 56, 6); Fullkrug 6.
Meyer, Wolf, Lotka, Ozcan, Watjen, Bynoe-Gittens. Haller, Malen, Moukoko.
Daniele Orsato 6.
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