Niclas Fullkrug’s first-half goal earned Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
BVB will head to Paris next week with the advantage in the tie, with PSG left to rue a host of chances to take something away from the Signal Iduna Park during an action-packed contest.
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A bouncing home crowd welcomed the teams for the blockbuster semi-final first leg and it inspired the hosts to enjoy the stronger first half.
Edin Terzic’s men broke the deadlock in the 36th minute through a brilliant effort from Fullkrug, who superbly brought down Nico Schlotterbeck’s pass before slamming a fierce finish past Gianluigi Donarumma.
PSG, still searching for a maiden Champions League triumph, were much improved after the break and were left wondering how they were not level during an action-packed start to the second half.
Both Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi struck the post within seconds of each other alongside a host of other chances for the French champions shortly after the interval.
But the Parisians failed to capitalise on their dominance as BVB assumed control again on the hour mark.
It was then Fullkrug’s turn to spurn a golden chance to double his tally, with the German striker side-footing over the bar after being teed up by the impressive Jadon Sancho.
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The Bundesliga side then saw a penalty claim controversially waved away, with both the referee and the VAR concluding Nuno Mendes’ contact on Fullkrug was not worthy of a foul.
Mbappe ensured PSG remained a threat though, with the departing France star’s scooped pass threading Ousmane Dembele through on goal, only for his compatriot to be denied by Gregor Kobel with 20 minutes to play.
Dembele then missed yet another huge opportunity for Luis Enrique’s men, with the former Dortmund winger unable to keep his shot down following Hakimi’s good work down the right.
But Dortmund managed to hold on for a deserved win, handing them a potentially crucial advantage in their efforts to reach the Wembley final.
