Champions League: Beaten by Dortmund (1-0), PSG condemned to win in the return leg
PSG fell into the trap set by Borussia Dortmund. Despite being the clear favorite on paper, the French club was caught off guard by an ambitious, solid, and somewhat lucky opponent. As a result, they suffered a defeat at Signal Iduna Park (1-0), also marking their first loss across all competitions since November.
It’s also the first time this season that teammates of Vitinha, one of the few standout performers this Wednesday, have been defeated without finding the path to the opponent’s net. They’ve made their task more difficult in their quest for qualification to the Champions League final and will necessarily need to win next week during the return leg at Parc des Princes.
The score is perhaps a bit harsh for the visitors who had several opportunities to equalize after a shaky start to the match and an opportunistic opening goal by Niclas Füllkrug, composed in front of the goal receiving an excellent long ball from Nico Schlotterbeck (1-0, 36′). However, Kylian Mbappé and his teammates clearly lacked precision in their final touch.
When they didn’t miss the target from good positions (Fabian Ruiz (56′), Ousmane Dembélé (80′), Warren Zaïre Emery (89′)), they ran into a very good Gregor Kobel. The Swiss goalkeeper made saves against the French international (54′) and on a long-range shot from Bradley Barcola (48′), who incidentally was very quiet during this match. Most notably, he made a crucial intervention at close range against Ousmane Dembélé (73′).
A response from the French champions is expected next Tuesday (9 p.m.) during the return leg, to avoid another disappointment on the continental stage.
