Borussia Dortmund 1-0 PSG: Three takeaways from Champions League semifinal first leg
By Joseph Meyer
Niclas Füllkrug scored the only goal of the game to secure the first leg in Borussia Dortmund's favour. Here are our three takeaways from BVB's 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Borussia Dortmund do know how to play like a team
Contrary to what social media criticism might suggest, Borussia Dortmund do know how to play like a cohesive squad. Let’s agree to forget about last weekend’s embarrassment in Leipzig. It’s clear that Edin Terzic and his side had their mind on the PSG match. And they were up for it right from the start.
Borussia Dortmund were the better team from the outset, and delivered some of the best link-up play we've seen from them this season. Niclas Füllkrug kept finding space, and his teammates were finding him with through balls and crosses. The German international even found the net with a strong finish, retaining his form after also scoring in the quarterfinals. Karim Adeyemi’s pace left Achraf Hakimi in the dust on multiple occasions, and Jadon Sancho ran the show, especially in the second-half.
The BVB defence was heavily shored up by Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck, while Julian Brandt, Emre Can, and Marcel Sabitzer constantly turned defence into attack. Ian Maatsen had the measure of Ousmane Dembele, and Julian Ryerson was a work-horse, as usual. I don’t think any BVB player had a poor outing. No, they showed again what they are capable of when the entire team shows up to play.