Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the Champions League final for the first time since 2013, edging out Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 (2-0 on aggregate) in a thrilling encounter at the Parc des Princes.
PSG boss Luis Enrique demanded a win before kick-off, and his team certainly came out firing, desperate to overturn the first-leg deficit. Achraf Hakimi was a constant threat down the right flank, whipping in crosses for the lurking Kylian Mbappé.
The German visitors, under immense pressure from the roaring Parisian crowd, defended resolutely. They almost conceded just after the half-hour mark when Mbappé danced past three defenders, but Ousmane Dembélé blazed the follow-up over. Dortmund weren’t just defending though, and Karim Adeyemi had a golden chance himself, only to fire straight at Gianluigi Donnaruma.
At half-time, Luis Enrique clearly revved his players up, as they emerged for the second half with renewed hunger. Warren Zaire-Emery had a golden opportunity to put PSG ahead, but incredibly sliced his shot onto the post from close range, much to the dismay of the home fans.
With Dortmund weathering the constant PSG pressure, it took a Borussia Dortmund legend to change the game. Mats Hummels rose majestically to head home a Julian Brandt corner, effectively doubling Dortmund’s aggregate lead. PSG were stunned, and Nuno Mendes saw his fantastic effort from distance rattle the post – the 12th time PSG had hit the woodwork in the Champions League this season!
Dortmund’s defence then went into lockdown mode in the closing stages, knowing their best chance of progressing was to hold onto what they had. They did just that, despite late efforts from Mbappé and Vitinha striking the crossbar in a dramatic finale.
Now, Dortmund wait to see who they’ll face in the final. Perhaps a rematch against Bayern Munich for the 2013 Champions League title, which coincidentally took place at Wembley Stadium, could be on the cards – a delicious prospect for Dortmund fans!
Man of the Match: Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings