Haaland not immediately Savior: In the first leg, Erling Haaland was the celebrated match winner with two goals. In Dortmund, however, the Norwegian was not on his own most of the time. Characteristic of the second leg in Paris was a scene in the 31st minute, when the 19-year-old switched from three opponents to a counterattack, was alone and had no chance. Haaland’s offensive fellow campaigners Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard, Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi were unable to build on the brilliant performances already shown this season. That was too little for the quarter-finals of the premier class.
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The result: Paris Saint-Germain beats Borussia Dortmund 2-0 (2-0) and is thus in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Here is the match report.
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And now, Dortmund? BVB has recently moved away from its transfer strategy of almost exclusively engaging young players with a potentially high resale value. Can, Witsel and Hummels were used to reach deep into the till for more mature players who probably cannot be sold with a surplus. The club also took the risk in the hope of a better role in the Champions League. Now, for the third year in a row, they have not made it past the round of 16. That could not be enough in the next season to finance the expensive squad.
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Fake viewers of the game: As with the Bundesliga match between Gladbach and Cologne, which also took place without spectators, in the early evening, fans had gathered in front of the stadium. And at first it seemed as if the Paris supporters were cheering on their team from so far away that something like home game atmosphere was created. However, the chants were recorded by the stadium director. The sound was turned off after a few minutes, but would have been unfair.
First half: Dortmund was significantly lower than in the first leg, leaving Paris largely undisturbed into its own half. BVB defensively formed a five-man chain with Parisian possession. More than a good chance from Edinson Cavani in the 25th minute did not jump out at first. But there are still standard situations. Despite a clear outnumber around the five, Neymar was able to head in relatively freely after a corner (28th). Hakimi was the closest, but mentally not up to par. After the deficit, BVB tried more possession, but played too many bad passes in the build-up. Paris therefore had as few problems on the defensive as BVB conceded to concede. Speaking of BVB goals: In added time, Juan Bernat first conquered the ball against Thorgan Hazard and was the first and last stop on the second chance out of the game.
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Fireworks of the game: There were no pyrotechnics in the empty Parc des Princes for obvious reasons. In front of the stadium, however, an impressive firework display consisting of New Year’s Eve rockets and firecrackers was lit after a few minutes of play. Small explosions could also be heard from time to time during the game.
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Second half: BVB immediately took control, but also the accuracy of fit from the first half. Since there was also a lack of sparkling ideas in the last third, the game went as it had been since the deficit: Dortmund had more possession, but hardly any noteworthy chances. A safe and a deflected low shot by substitute Julian Brandt (73rd and 77th) were the most dangerous thing BVB managed to achieve. Paris didn’t do more than necessary.
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Cans Déjà-vu: Can saw red in the closing stages for a push against Neymar. You don’t have to be a medium to suspect that there was a lot of frustration. Fun fact: it was Can’s second red card in the Champions League. The first he received in the 2013/14 season with Leverkusen – in Paris.
“Give him!”: A positive side effect of the bleachers, which were empty due to the corona pandemic, was that the shouts of the coaches and players could be heard well by the television viewer. Especially in the initial phase, one or the other “give him” the Dortmund to hear when an opponent should be started.
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The dream lives: Paris was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League three years in a row. Not enough for the needs of the financially strong club. With Thomas Tuchel, in addition to the national championship that is self-evident, it should finally also cause a sensation in the Champions League – preferably with the title. Tuchel failed on the first attempt. Last season, Paris were knocked out in the last 16 against Manchester United. Now Dortmund should only be a step on the way to the top class title for the Qatari owners. At home, PSG is a power this season of the Champions League. Even without a spectator, the fourth of four home games was won to zero.
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