As PSG failed to make a multitude of openings count in the first leg – erstwhile Dortmund attacker Ousmane Dembele in particular endured a horror show against his former club – BVB talisman Niclas Fullkrug offered Luis Enrique’s men a lesson in attacking ruthlessness.
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With 36 minutes on the clock, the Germany international made a brilliant run to meet Nico Schlotterbeck’s ball over the top, took a delightful touch and fired a ferocious low effort past Gianluigi Donnarumma, thereby netting in the 2023-24 Champions League – his European Cup debut season – for the third time.
Dortmund also registered their fifth clean sheet of this season’s Champions League thanks to the profligacy of PSG, who were at least blessed with a weekend off from Ligue 1 matters in preparation for Tuesday’s tantalising second leg, although they have already run away with the top-flight title yet again.
Close yet no cigar has always been the theme for Les Parisiens in the Champions League, but Enrique’s side have already reversed a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the quarter-finals and could now become the first team in tournament history to reach the final after losing their opening quarter and semi-final battles.
A seven-game run without a clean sheet in all competitions will not do PSG any favours in that regard – nor will winning just three of their last eight matches at the Parc des Princes – but not since the opening weekend of the 2023-24 Ligue 1 season have Enrique’s men failed to score on home territory.
