PSG 0-1 Borussia Dortmund: Player ratings as BVB advance to Champions League final

Nazir Hamzah May 8, 2024

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Borussia Dortmund advanced into the Champions League final following a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

Dortmund took a 1-0 lead into the second leg after Niclas Fullkrug struck in Germany and quite remarkably shut PSG out again despite the French side recording over 43 shots over the two legs.

PSG couldn’t find a way through an imperious Dortmund backline, with Kylian Mbappe failing to fire on his final Champions League appearance for the French giants.

Edin Terzic’s side will now take on Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the 1 June final at Wembley.

How the game unfolded

There was a grand sense of occasion in Paris and an anticipatory Parc des Princes greeted the two sides. A expectant home crowd delivered a belting atmosphere, although Dortmund did a superb job of stifling the hosts and any potential momentum from gathering early on.

PSG were aggressive after losing possession, but a lack of spark with the ball and issues with their pressing structure meant BVB enjoyed periods of distinct comfort during a goalless opening 45 minutes. Enrique’s side were often one-paced with the ball until it was worked out to the right flank where Ousmane Dembele and Achrad Hakimi each supplied an injection of pace.

Gregor Kobel was infrequently tested and it was Dortmund who went the closest in the first half. The speedy Karim Adeyemi forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a strong save having burst away on the counter-attack.

There was an immediate improvement from the hosts at the start of the second half with Enrique tinkering with PSG’s possession structure. Warren Zaire-Emery ought to have scored from close range and his miss proved costly as Dortmund went down the other end and took the lead through Mats Hummels, who powered home from a corner.

The deficit seemingly awoke the hosts, who piled on the pressure thereafter with their dreams of a Wembley final on the line. PSG battered the Dortmund goal and once again struck the woodwork. Their superiority forced Terzic to change tack as the visitors went to a back five.

The change brought a period of serenity before PSG came again. Their assault at the end was relentless, but there was just no way the ball was going to find the back of the net. They spurned chance after chance to get back into the tie, with a resilient Dortmund advancing off the back of woeful home finishing.

PSG player ratings (4-3-3)

Mbappe failed to fire for PSG / Richard Heathcote/GettyImages

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6/10 – There wasn’t much he could have done to deny Hummels after he made a good first-half save to stop Adeyemi.

RB: Achraf Hakimi – 5/10 – Certainly bright but Hakimi did not make the most of the good positions he took up in and around the final third.

CB: Marquinhos – 8/10 – It was his poor back pass which led to the fatal corner. Marquinhos was otherwise superb, especially with the ball.

CB: Lucas Beraldo – 6/10 – Threw his body on the line to deny Adeyemi early on and delivered a lovely cross-field pass throughout. Fullkrug had his way with him physically.

LB: Nuno Mendes – 6/10 – Fared better against Jadon Sancho this time around, but Mendes, who hit the post in the second half, couldn’t produce the requisite quality in the second half.

CM: Vitinha – 7/10 – The Portuguese playmaker offered moments of real quality in possession, rarely giving it away, and was forced to work incredibly hard in the second period to shun Dortmund on the counter.

CM: Warren Zaire-Emery – 5/10 – The bright lights will return to Zaire-Emery, but this wasn’t his night. Failed to impose himself during the opening 45 minutes and missed a sitter at the start of the second half.

CM: Fabian Ruiz – 5/10 – Occasionally ponderous in possession and rarely sought to penetrate the Dortmund backline. No surprise that he was withdrawn after the hour.

RW: Ousmane Dembele – 6/10 – Flung himself around the Parc des Princes turf in a bid to affect proceedings with and without the ball, His effort couldn’t be faulted, but his work in the final third frustrated.

ST: Goncalo Ramos – 5/10 – Wasn’t hugely involved on a rare Champions League start, snatching at a couple of decent chances inside the box.

LW: Kylian Mbappe – 6/10 – Tone was set with a few loose early touches. Mbappe was expected to deliver for the hosts, but he didn’t. He had his chances late on.

Substitutes

SUB: Bradley Barcola (63′ for Ramos) – 6/10

SUB: Marco Asensio (63′ for Fabian) – 6/10

SUB: Lee Kang-in (76′ for Zaire-Emery) – 6/10

Subs not used: Keylor Navas (GK), Arnau Tenas (GK), Manuel Ugarte, Danilo Pereira, Randal Kolo Muani, Nordi Mukiele, Carlos Soler, Milan Skriniar, Yoram Zague.

Manager

Luis Enrique – 6/10 – PSG were far too risk-averse in the opening period, but their second-half showing was vastly improved. It was nothing short of a miracle that they didn’t score over the two legs.

Borussia Dortmund player ratings (4-2-3-1)

Hummels headed Dortmund into the lead / FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages

GK: Gregor Kobel – 7/10 – PSG’s errant finishing meant Kobel wasn’t tested regularly, though he did make a couple of smart saves at the death.

RB: Julian Ryerson – 8/10 – The centre-backs will get much of the praise, but Ryerson was superb, too. After keeping Mbappe quiet in the first half, Ryerson was brilliant while defending the BVB box late on.

CB: Mats Hummels – 9/10 – A performance which matched his masterclass in the first leg, only this time he got on the scoresheet as well! Hummels came into his own when PSG piled on the pressure in the closing stages.

CB: Nico Schlotterbeck – 9/10 – Read the game masterfully and was just as impressive as his centre-back partner – if not better. Positioning to deny PSG’s crossing threat was spot on and was confident in possession throughout.

LB: Ian Maatsen – 7/10 – Had his work cut out against such a dynamic PSG right-hand side, but stuck to his task well enough.

CM: Emre Can – 7/10 – Looked heavy with the ball early on, but did settle into the game. The skipper provided some steel in front of Dortmund’s imperious backline.

CM: Marcel Sabitzer – 8/10 – Wasn’t a major contributor with the ball, but his effort without it was utterly outstanding.

RM: Jadon Sancho – 7/10 – The Englishman wasn’t anywhere near as dominant as he was in the first leg, but he certainly had his moments. Sacrificed as Dortmund moved to a back five for the final quarter of the contest. Diligent defensively.

AM: Julian Brandt – 6/10 – Usually a figure of calm in possession, there were times when Brandt opted for the wrong decision, especially in transition.

LM: Karim Adeyemi – 6/10 – Tireless effort defensively, even if he did lose his man once or twice. PSG were tough to contain down that flank. Missed Dortmund’s best chance of the first half and was withdrawn before the hour.

ST: Niclas Fullkrug – 7/10 – The big man did his job. Won his headers and was a nuisance throughout.

Substitutes

SUB: Marco Reus (56′ for Adeyemi) – 7/10

SUB: Niklas Sule (67′ for Sancho) – 7/10

SUB: Felix Nmecha (85′ for Brandt) – N/A

Subs not used: Alexander Meyer (GK), Salih Ozcan, Sebastien Haller, Marius Wolf, Youssoufa Moukoko, Donyell Malen, Marcel Lotka, Kjell-Arik Watjen, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

Manager

Edin Terzic – 8/10 – Was it tactically outstanding? No. But when a group of players work this tirelessly for the cause, the manager deserves plenty of credit. Terzic has overseen a miraculous run.