Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday night (May 1). Many expected PSG ace Kylian Mbappe to steal the show in front of the Yellow Wall, but it was Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho who took the cake away.
Borussia Dortmund Steal Important Win In UEFA Champions League Semi-Final
Edin Terzic’s Borussia Dortmund have failed to put up a title challenge in the Bundesliga. They are currently toiling in fifth place after 31 matches, sitting five points away from Champions League qualification with only three games left to play. To guarantee their place in the UEFA Champions League next season, they must win it this time around. And much to the surprise of soccer fans around the world, they seem up to the task. After securing a comeback win over Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals, Dortmund bagged another victory in the semi-final first-leg against heavyweights PSG.
Both teams started the game decently. In the 11th minute, Ousmane Dembele cut into his right foot and dispatched a low shot. He caught the ball well, but the shot lacked accuracy, as it drifted wide of Gregor Kobel’s post. Three minutes later, Sancho snatched the ball off Nuno Mendes and played it through to Julian Brandt. The midfielder spotted Marcel Sabitzer’s run and found him with a perfectly weighted pass. Sabitzer had a go at goal from a tight angle, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was equal to his effort.
In the 36th minute, Niclas Fullkrug sent Dortmund fans into pandemonium, as he fired the hosts in front with a rocket of a strike. The center-forward gracefully brought down Nico Schlotterbeck’s long ball from deep, went past his marker, and applied a thumping finish to beat at his near post. PSG did not look equipped to find an equalizer in the remainder of the first half, but they had more than enough chances in the second 45.
Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi hit the post in quick succession in the 51st minute while Fabian Ruiz failed to keep his shots on target on a couple of occasions. Dortmund, too, had a few decent opportunities, but their finishing was also not up to the mark.
Manchester United Outcast Jadon Sancho Dazzles Against PSG
Sancho, who joined Borussia Dortmund on loan in January after falling out with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, was the standout performer against PSG in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg. He glided past defenders like they were not there, did not hog the ball, combined flawlessly with teammates, and created quite a few goalscoring opportunities.
Throughout the 90, Sancho completed 51 passes with 88% accuracy, created three chances, and completed a whopping 13 dribbles — more than any other player in the competition this season. He also won a game-high 14 ground duels and made seven recoveries.
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