Borussia Dortmund came out on top against Paris St-Germain on Tuesday night to reach their first Champions League final since 2013.
Dortmund came into the match with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg of the semi-final held in Germany. Mats Hummel doubled the lead in the 50th minute with a terrific header which put the visitors up two goals at Parc des Princes.
PSG had a number of chances but couldn’t convert, hitting the upright twice in the opening match and four times in the second leg. They almost received a penalty when Italian referee Daniele Orsato was about to give a spot-kick, but he changed his mind to rule that Hummels’ foul on Ousmane Dembele had been just outside the area.
Mbappe had a volley saved by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and later a challenge from Hummels saved him from finishing a Fabian Ruiz ball through. PSG put even more pressure on late in the second but couldn’t get through, with Mbappe having a shot saved and Marquinhos heading narrowly wide.
Dortmund didn’t have as many chances but took full advantage when they presented themselves. Their first real opportunity came when Julian Ryerson’s shot hit the side netting early on in the match. Dortmund then had a better chance in the 35th minute on a sharp counter attack, but Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a top save to deny Karim Adeyemi.
Despite having only 30% of the possession and 3 shots on goal, Dortmund shut out their opponents and were able to sneak in a goal against the run of play. Hummels header from Julian Brandt’s corner doubled the German side’s advantage over the two legs and put huge pressure on PSG to reply.
The hosts had a few more close calls when Ramos’s shot went just over and Nuno Mendes’s 25-meter strike hit the post. Mbappe had yet another attempt via a deflection but could only find the bar.
PSG will be disappointed with the finish, coming in as favourites to reach their second final after finishing runners-up in 2020. Kylian Mbappe couldn’t get the send off he wanted in his last European match for PSG before joining Real Madrid in the summer. PSG will likely look to make some big signings over the summer and come back with a new look team next season.
Embracing The Role of Underdogs
Not many experts had Dortmund topping their Champions League group after they drew PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle. In only fifth position in the Bundesliga, they have not been looking their best this season but have completely turned it around in their European campaign.
Their road in the knockout stages saw them roll past PSV Eindhoven in the last 16 and then eliminate Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals. They then had a brilliant home performance against PSG on 30 April which put them a goal up heading into the second leg. Despite this they were still underdogs heading to Paris and will likely be underdogs again in the Final.
The final will be at Wembley on Saturday, 1 June and could very well be an all-German affair. The last time the Champions League final had two German teams was back in May 2013 when Bayern Munich beat Dortmund 2-1 in London.
Bayern and Real Madrid will be battling it out for the second spot in the final on Wednesday in Spain. The first leg was a 2-2 draw which makes Real Madrid favourites heading home for the second leg.
Dortmund would likely prefer to play Bayern given the familiarity between the two teams. Dortmund beat Bayern 2-0 earlier this year, which should give them confidence that they can repeat at Wembley. It should be noted however that Dortmund was dominated by Bayern in November last year, 4-0.
Real Madrid dominated their group in the Champions League this year, winning all of their 6 matches. They will be favorites to take home the title this year, adding a 15th Champions League trophy to their collection.
Dortmund are aiming to become European champions for the second time in their history after they defeated Juventus 3-1 in the 1997 final.
