Luis Enrique’s side were made to rue missed opportunities at Signal Iduna Park as they slipped to defeat in Germany
Kylian Mbappe was kept quiet while a wide forward on the opposition dominated proceedings as Paris Saint-Germain were left to rue missed chances in their 1-0 first-leg loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-final.
Jadon Sancho, enjoying his finest game since re-joining Dortmund on loan in January, wowed on the wing for the hosts, overshadowing Mbappe, who was all-but marked out of the game, and the Parisians will now have to overturn an aggregate deficit if they are to keep up their hopes of lifting a first European Cup before their all-time top scorer departs this summer.
Dortmund took the lead after 35 minutes, as Niklas Fullkrug darted in behind the Parisian defence, corralled a lofted pass and fired past a sprawling Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG created more after the break, and peppered Gregor Kobel’s goal early in the second half, as. Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi both hit the inside of the post, before Fabian Ruiz nodded wide with the goal gaping. Ousmane Dembele was also responsible for a couple of misses of his own, twice failing to find the net from inside the box.
Dortmund, too, had their chances, with Julian Brandt and Fullkrug both squandering opportunities – the excellent Sancho serving as their point of inspiration throughout. Still, neither side found another goal, and the Parisians find themselves in a hole ahead of what seems set to be an enticing second leg.
GOAL rates PSG’s players from Signal Iduna Park…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):
Made a smart stop to keep it 1-0 shortly before the break. Could do nothing about the goal.
Achraf Hakimi (6/10):
Engaged in an enthralling duel with the lively Adeyemi. Hit the post when he should have scored in the second half.
Marquinhos (5/10):
Given a hard time by Fullkrug, and couldn’t cope with the big German’s physicality. Made a crucial sliding intervention to prevent Dortmund taking a 2-0 lead late on.
Lucas Hernandez (4/10):
Lost track of Fullkrug on the Dortmund goal, and was then forced off with yet another injury.
Nuno Mendes (5/10):
Couldn’t get anywhere near Sancho, and was constantly made to look silly by the Manchester United loanee.
Midfield
Warren Zaire-Emery (7/10):
Full of energy in central areas. Did a lot of the running while Vitinha and Ruiz went about the creative stuff.
Vitinha (6/10):
Orchestrated play effectively, able to play short and long. Didn’t track his runners defensively, though.
Fabian Ruiz (6/10):
Missed an open goal with a chance to level it at 1-1. Squandered another opportunity later on. He may rue those errors.
Attack
Ousmane Dembele (4/10):
Caused problems with some dangerous runs and nifty turns, but seemed allergic to putting the ball in the net.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Constantly constricted when he had the ball, but still managed to carve out a few openings for himself. Deserved an assist from a lovely scooped pass to Dembele, and also hit the inside of the post.
Bradley Barcola (5/10):
Asked to play very wide, and didn’t really get in the game. Subbed after an hour.
Subs & Manager
Lucas Beraldo (6/10):
Introduced for the injured Hernandez shortly before the break. Held his own at the back.
Randal Kolo Muani (5/10):
Lively on the wing, but didn’t really change the game.
Luis Enrique (6/10):
What more could he have done? PSG played reasonably well for long stretches, and the former Barcelona boss pieced together a side that created plenty of chances. At the end of the day, he can only blame the guys who failed to hit the back of the net.