Borussia Dortmund celebrates the next magical night on the European stage. The first semi-final against Paris St. Germain was narrowly won. The BVB players put on a rousing fight in front of their own audience, with moments of breathlessness.
Karim Adeyemi couldn’t take it anymore. On the way to the substitution bench, BVB’s small striker almost collapsed from exhaustion. His opponent Achraf Hakimi fell to his knees several times and gasped for air. In the 83rd minute, the game between Borussia Dortmund and Paris St. Germain got a moment to breathe. But this break didn’t last long. Seconds later, the unstoppable Jadon Sancho sprinted towards the guests’ goal, chose the brilliant pass and gave BVB playmaker Julian Brandt the great opportunity to make the old Westfalenstadion go completely crazy. But his shot was blocked by PSG captain Marquinhos with a monster tackle. It was still 1-0. The football temple shook and trembled. The pulse of the game was racing, the fans in the stands went completely crazy. A Frenchman shouted appreciatively: “Un stade rempli de malades mentaux”. A stadium full of mental patients. Football mad would have been a better term.
At 10:55 p.m., referee Anthony Taylor ended the rousing first semi-final duel between BVB and the superstar ensemble from the French capital. The hosts had dragged the 1-0 over the finish line and can continue to dream big about the second Champions League final at Wembley. Maybe it will be against FC Bayern again (who ended the first duel 2-2 against Real Madrid), maybe there will be revenge for the bitter 1-2 from Dortmund’s point of view, brought about by Arjen Robben in the penultimate minute. But the way back to this magical place will be rock hard, next Tuesday in Paris.
Borussia Dortmund – Paris St. Germain 1:0 (1:0)
Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson (87. Wolf), Schlotterbeck, Hummels, Maatsen – Sabitzer, Can – Adeyemi (83. Reus), Brandt (87. Nmecha), Sancho – Füllkrug (90.+1 Moukoko); Coach: Terzic
Paris: Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Hernandez (42. Berlando), Nuno Mendes – Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz – Dembele, Mbappe, Barcola (65. Kolo Muani); Trainer: Luis Enrique
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
Goal: 1-0 Füllkrug (36th)
Yellow cards: Maatsen, Schlotterbeck – Fabian Ruiz
Audience: 81,365 (sold out)
The south stand invited the heroes of the evening onto the lawn in front of them after their shift on Labor Day. Following the thunderous applause, they sang together the song of Dortmund international, of the European Cup. The exhausted footballers suddenly jumped around again, jumping into each other and onto each other. The adrenaline kicked in like crazy. And with Jamie Carragher, apparently the alcohol. The Liverpool legend had joined the Yellow Wall, apparently soldered properly and later conducted interviews as a CBS expert. He raved about his new family and was just completely taken by it. Out of control. And no matter what happens next week, with the victory BVB secured the right to compete in the premier class again. Because the fifth place in the Bundesliga is now guaranteed to be there. And at the moment everything indicates that the Black and Yellows will sink into the bread-and-butter competition after a completely messed up season. Just last weekend there was a 1:4 defeat at RB Leipzig.
“We are completely aware of it”
It is one of the great mysteries of this season that BVB has repeatedly performed mysteriously poorly in the league, only to then restore its battered reputation on the big stage. The club can always be sure of the boundless love of the fans, but not of their approval of the performances. In the meantime, a lot of things were questioned. Coach Edin Terzić, for example. Or the transfer policy. But on this Wednesday evening, all the debates seem like they are from another time. The sudden onset of summer flooded the city with a collective happiness: the big thing is in town. The Champions League. The first semi-final. “We are completely aware of it. On social media, but also before the game when we arrive. The fans are what define Borussia Dortmund,” said Mats Hummels. A source of strength. A feverish mood. And a foretaste of the European Championship summer, which also has a prominent location in the Ruhr metropolis.
When the curtain is pulled aside on this spectacle called the Champions League, everything is a little louder, a little more intense than usual. The anthem “You’ll never walk alone” develops gigantic power, the cheers for your own team ring louder , the whistles for the opponent are louder. A breathtaking backdrop is built over the south stand, which quickly encompasses the entire stadium, where several thousand exuberant PSG supporters also celebrated a big party. Everything peaceful. BVB fired straight away. With courage. And with a Jadon Sancho who really wants to kick. The showcase that presented itself was a large and important one for him. It is unclear whether he will stay at BVB. Also whether he has to go back to Manchester United. And the winger, who has been in crisis for so long, is far from guaranteed a place in the English European Championship squad. Sancho nailed everything, speed, technique, finesse, passion and can see the game as a very good application for everything that is to come.
What happened on the pitch had a direct effect on what was happening in the stands. If BVB ran forward, the stadium jumped open. If PSG let the ball circulate, it went back into the seating bowl. Because the game swung back and forth, it was a surprisingly strenuous holiday workout for many visitors. The first wave of black and yellow attacks subsided, and only once did the spray really jump up. Marcel Sabitzer failed after 14 minutes from a tight angle after being nicely cleared by Sancho. Lars Ricken, the new sports director, liked what he saw. If Dortmund’s performance on the club legend’s first day of work in his new position is the benchmark for everything to come, then something big is about to happen.
Adeyemi worked wildly backwards
But with Sabitzer’s shot, the black and yellow glory left the stage for the time being. Former player Ousmane Dembélé appeared as the second protagonist. His pace and skill on the ball are still a feast for the eyes, even if the winger has had difficult years. He repeatedly went up against Ian Maatsen, the BVB loanee suffered a lot, but also held his own. After 18 minutes, Dembélé had already shot twice at the Dortmund goal. Both teams looked for the tempo and tried to take the pace away from their opponents. It was a crazy night.
Appearance of the third protagonist: Karim Adeyemi, the goalscorer in the last duel at the end of December in the group phase. What he has in common with Sancho and Dembélé: It’s not always easy for him. He’s fast, but he’s not always happy in his last action. A fan complained after an early cross into the void: “It sucks sometimes and then it sucks.” That evening, Adeyemi pulled himself together and shone in the overalls. After 32 minutes, he sprinted after Dembélé and ran the ball off him. Not for the first time, but now particularly impressive. The offensive player, who is not known for his defensive tenacity, then received big applause and Becker fists from his defensive colleagues Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck.
He (i.e. Schlotterbeck) had a sensational idea four minutes later and lobbed the ball perfectly into the path of Niclas Füllkrug, who took the ball perfectly and nailed it perfectly into the short corner with a shot from around 14 meters. Greetings to national coach Julian Nagelsmann, who recently retired all of Borussia’s DFB candidates with the exception of Füllkrug.
In fact, many things had to go perfectly that evening to bring down the luxury ensemble from Paris. This wasn’t always successful offensively; all too often, attacks were ruined with sloppy balls and chances were missed. Sabitzer made it 2-0 in the 44th minute, his shot landing directly at Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG played BVB dizzy for minutes
But the game against the ball and the self-confidence to playfully free themselves from the constant flashes of pressure from the guests were right. At times it was a fiery dance with recklessness, but again and again the turn was successful before the abyss got too close. The central defenders and the wing players Julian Ryerson and Ian Maatsen successfully fought until they dropped against the fast, technically brilliant PSG “rockets” (so Füllkrug).
Borussia felt really dizzy for a few minutes after the break. PSG picked up the pace. And how. Superstar Kylian Mbappé, who was always pounced on by numerous BVB players, slammed the ball onto the inside post (51′). Seconds later the next thunderous bang, Hakami followed suit with Mbappé. Suddenly it all happened much too quickly for Dortmund. Mbappé again (54th), this time Gregor Kobel saved. Then Fabián Ruiz, he heads wide from close range (55′). Fearful looks in the stadium, the atmosphere intense, tense, thrilling. Premier class. “Un stadium rempli de malades mentaux!” The south stand set the strong pace. “In this stadium it always feels like you’re already 1-0 into the game because you have this incredible support, especially in phases when things aren’t going so well,” enthused Füllkrug.
Suddenly Sancho sprinted off again, leaving God and the world standing, broke into the penalty area, saw Füllkrug near the penalty spot, alone. His pass arrived, but the ball sailed over. The preliminary decision was possible (61st). Three minutes later, Julian Brandt crosses to Füllkrug, who is pushed into the header. No penalty, probably the right decision. BVB had done the Houdini and freed themselves. The filling jug is free again, over it again (66′). Then Paris reported back. No more order in the game, anywhere. Just high-class chaos. In this Dembélé swirled. Feint here, feint there. Graduation here, graduation there. But no more goals were scored. Because BVB threw everything into this fight, which once ended in great frustration in the group phase (0:2 in Paris) and once was a hot dance of hell (1:1).
The leader of the Dortmund Blaumann Group was Mats Hummels. A real crime scene preventer. Always there before something really bad happened. “It was a really top game,” he cheered. Perhaps his last CL game for BVB in their home stadium. His future is still unclear and “nothing has been decided,” as he emphasized. “We were very grown-up and very mature. You can’t eliminate a Mbappé, a Barcola or a Dembélé for 90 minutes. It’s normal for opportunities to arise. Nevertheless, we had to take risks, because if you want to be successful at this level, it’s possible no different.” The fans chanted: “Let’s Dortmund fight and win. And because we love you so much, you win this game for us!” And they did as they were told. Everything was out of control. How beautiful.
2024-05-02 03:34:00
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