If this is to be Kylian Mbappe’s last dance before he heads to Real Madrid, he had best come up with a suitably dazzling tango in Paris next week if he has any chance of meeting his future suitors in the final.
The only consolation for him and his teammates is that they will probably settle for this score, after a night in which they looked like the PSG of old, all divas and no direction.
You wouldn’t bet on them turning the tie around like they did in the quarter-final against Barcelona, but they’ll have to be much better than this.
Amid an event of vibrancy and enlightenment, Mbappe was overshadowed by home match winner Niclas Fullkrug, not to mention man-of-the-match Jadon Sancho. Remember him?
The Manchester United outcast has been outstanding, and the prospect of him playing in the Champions League final as his parent club fights to avoid falling into the Conference League will not be lost on the player, nor those whose confidence he didn’t have at Old Trafford.
Nicklas Fullkrug scored Dortmund’s opener in their semi-final against PSG
The German striker gave Dortmund a 1-0 lead with an excellent centre-forward
Kylian Mbappé was left frustrated that evening and hit the post in the second half
They trust him here. In fact, giving the ball to Sancho was as good a tactic as any. The fact that Dortmund goes to the French capital with only a one-goal lead is not his fault. He had a series of chances in the second half that should have been taken.
But what an intriguing and fascinating match this was. These teams survived the Group of Death and signed off with a draw that suited both in December, on a night when backs were scratched in this stadium. This time they tried to stick knives in it.
The first half was dominated by Dortmund’s ferocity. They were leading when Fullkrug, the late bloomer who made his Germany debut two years ago at the age of 29, suddenly transformed into Mbappé. Funny that, because Mbappé played like a journeyman on the other side of the striker.
Fullkrug’s touch before the finish wasn’t just a good touch for a big man, it was an excellent touch for a player of any form.
Nico Schlotterbeck floated a ball in behind the PSG backline, where the forward muffled the ball on his right as if wearing a slipper and smashed the ball in on his left as if equipped with a hammer.
It caused a sound that would have woken up all the inhabitants of this slumbering city. It’s a strange place, Dortmund, a charmless gray, even on a sunny day like this. Everything is gray when you leave the center towards the stadium. Even the birds are all pigeons.
Jadon Sancho looked back to his best and created countless problems for PSG
The England international gave Nuno Mendes a torrid time throughout the 90 minutes
Mbappé came close in the second half and PSG missed many big chances
But then there is the Westfalenstadion, like a rising sun on the edge of the city. Those gray plates are washed yellow here, an explosion of color and relentless clatter. In a city that always sleeps, the football club is the stimulus. Last night that assault on the senses was at its worst: an inspiration or an intimidation, depending on which side you were on.
Whatever happens, this will be the last Champions League match of the season here, and those in the Yellow Wall wanted to make things uncomfortable for those in white.
They sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before kick-off. The PSG players soon discovered that they couldn’t go anywhere without company. With this intention and intensity you really wonder how they struggled in their own country. They are currently fifth in the Bundesliga and may need help from UEFA to play in this competition next season.
But here they started crunching the numbers. Of course, the easiest way to qualify is to win June’s final at Wembley, and you sensed Dortmund knew they had to take the lead with them into Paris.
Marcel Sabitzer, the midfielder who played 11 goalless games with little love for Manchester United, is a fan favorite in Dortmund. It’s easy to understand why. He would have scored four goals in as many games had it not been for Gianluigi Donnarumma’s early blocking of a shot from close range.
Dortmund fans created a great atmosphere ahead of kick-off at Signal Iduna Park
The Yellow Wall was in full blast during the first Champions League semi-final in Dortmund since 2013
But the Italian keeper could do nothing to stop Fullkrug’s corner in the 36th minute. PSG, meanwhile, went into halftime without a single shot on target.
PSG boss Luis Enrique attacked the press on the eve of the match, accusing them of not knowing anything about football. He was responding to claims that his team were heavy favorites to win here. Enrique turned out to be on to something.
But the aggression the Spaniard had shown in the press room must have been repeated in the dressing room at half-time, as his team came out better in the second half. They couldn’t have been much worse.
Mbappe finally looked like a player Real Madrid wanted, albeit for a five-minute spell in which he cracked the post and pulled off a decent save from Gregor Kobel. His effort that bounced off the post was followed by teammate Achraf Hakimi, who shot against the other post. Midfielder Nuno Mendes then somehow managed to head wide from six yards, with PSG enjoying a brief lead.
Another notable fact from the first half was that Sancho had completed seven dribbles, the most by any player in this season’s competition. He took that tally to nine when he skipped past two defenders and pulled back for Fullkrug on the hour mark. However, his wild shot hit the Wall.
Fullkrug then missed another chance more easily than the one he had taken earlier, this time heading over from eight yards after connecting with Julian Brandt’s teasing free-kick. It was then Brandt’s turn to stab Donnarumma straight in the face after being freed by Sancho.
There will then be a bit of regret about missed opportunities. That didn’t stop the Yellow Wall from happily singing full-time. They can only hope it isn’t their last dance.