Champions League Results: Overthrow PSG, Borussia Dortmund to Final!
Borussia Dortmund advanced to the Champions League final after beating Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-final second leg at the Parc des Princes, Paris, Wednesday (8/5/2024) early morning WIB.
After winning the first leg at home by a narrow score of 1-0 last week, Edin Terzic’s men put in another superb defensive display to prevent Kylian Mbappe and co from enjoying the final third.
Dortmund controlled the first half, before talisman Mats Hummels scored the decisive goal five minutes after the break. This goal made him the third oldest goalscorer in the Champions League semifinals.
Against the backdrop of the electrifying atmosphere of the Parc des Princes, it turned into a night of despair for Luis Enrique’s PSG, whose shots hit the woodwork four times in the second half and were ultimately unable to find a way past BVB’s well-organized back line.
Victory for Dortmund saw them progress to their first Champions League final since the Jurgen Klopp era in 2013 and kept their hopes of repeating the 1997 feat alive.
Terzic’s side can now book a trip to Wembley Stadium and have the chance to face fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, or 14-time champions Real Madrid, who will face off in the second semi-final on Thursday.
Meanwhile for PSG, their wait to win the Champions League crown continues, and the defeat is expected to be Mbappe’s final game in the competition for the French giants before the Real Madrid-linked striker leaves at the end of the season.
Paris Saint-Germain: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Warren Zaire Emery, Fabian Ruiz; Ousmane Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, Kylian Mbappe.
Borussia Dortmund: Gregor Kobel; Ian Maatsen, Nico Schlotterbeck, Mats Hummels, Julian Ryerson; Emre Can, Marcel Sabitzer; Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Jadon Sancho; Niclas Fuellkrug.
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma cried after the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between PSG and Borussia Dortmund. His tears couldn’t be stopped because he once again failed to lift the Big Ears trophy.
Sky Sport Italia journalists, and Gianluca Di Marzio reporting from the stadium, confirmed that Gianluigi Donnarumma left the pitch feeling very emotional, and he was seen crying as he walked towards the dressing room.
The 2023/2024 season is Donnarumma’s furthest journey in the Champions League in his career, after being eliminated twice in the round of 16 with PSG. With AC Milan, he only appeared in the Europa League.
PSG and Donnarumma were twice beaten 0-1 over two legs for an aggregate score of 0-2. Their shots hit the woodwork six times over the two matches, including four times in the second half of the second match.
It was Mats Hummels who provided the crucial blow of the night, heading home Julian Brandt’s corner in the 50th minute.
Another German player scored in the first leg, when striker Niklas Fulkrug received a long ball from Nico Schlotterbeck.
Dortmund will now face Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid or Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the final. The semifinals will be completed early Thursday morning, with the score currently tied at 2-2.
Meanwhile, after the match, Mbappe was very sad, especially since he realized that PSG had many opportunities, all of which did not result in goals.
“We always wanted to win at PSG, we feel sad,” said Mbappe after the defeat. “We should have scored. We had chances to score, and when you don’t score, when you’re not efficient on both sides, it’s difficult to get through.”
“I try to help my team as best as I can. That’s not enough. When you talk about efficiency on both sides, I think I’m the first to be asked,” said the 25-year-old.
“I was the one who should have scored and made the difference. I have no problem with that, the first person who should have scored tonight was me.”
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was eliminated from the Champions League after suffering a bitter 0-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmunda in the second leg of the semifinals, Wednesday (8/5/2024) early morning WIB. PSG lost 0-2 on aggregate.
PSG’s misfortune was twofold because in that match they also recorded two bitter, unwanted records. PSG once again had to bury their dream of winning the Champions League for the first time.
Borussia Dortmund’s only winning goal in this match was scored by Mats Hummels in the 50th minute. PSG was unable to respond until the match ended.
What bad records did PSG record in last night’s Champions League match?
According to Opta, PSG recorded the highest number of shots in a Champions League knockout round match without scoring a goal since recording this category began in the 2003/2004 season. In last night’s match, PSG
Second, the ball from PSG’s attacks hit the goal post four times. This is a record for the most ever occurring in a single Champions League knockout phase match.
Since this defeat, PSG have lost six of the seven Champions League semi-final matches they have participated in. Their only success occurred against RB Leipzig in the 2019/2020 season. At that time, they qualified for the final before losing to Bayern Munich.
On the other hand, Dortmund’s success cannot be separated from the brilliant performance of Mats Hummels. The veteran defender scored at the age of 35 years and 143 days, making him the oldest German player to score in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Hummels is also the third oldest player to contribute a goal in the Champions League semifinals, after Edin Dzeko and Ryan Giggs.
Despite still having two league matches remaining, Dortmund managed to advance to the Champions League final for the third time in the club’s history.
They previously won the Big Ear trophy in the 1996/1997 season by beating Juventus. But Borussia Dortmund lost to rivals, Bayern Munich, in the 2012/2013 season final at Wembley.
With this win, Dortmund will return to the famous stadium for the final next month. In the final, they will face the winner of Bayern Munich or the defending champion, Real Madrid, in the battle to win the Champions League title.
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