Champions League: BVB wins the group, PSG continues to tremble

Goalscorer Adeyemi out injured

For BVB, which is weak in the Bundesliga, the Champions League remains an oasis of well-being. Dortmund were also very lucky in the 1-1 (0-0) draw against the star ensemble from Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening, but to the astonishment of the experts, they finished top of Group F as winners. After a remarkable exchange of blows between both teams in front of 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Signal Iduna Park, coach Edin Terzic’s team can hope for an easier opponent in the draw for the round of 16 on Monday.

Karim Adeyemi (51st minute) gave the hosts the lead, and Warren Zaïre-Emery (56th) equalized for PSG shortly afterwards. As a result, the opponent from the French capital, who was supported by a lot of money from Qatar and was considered a title contender, barely made it into the round of the last 16 teams because AC Milan won 2-1 (0-1) at Newcastle United.

Unlike in the Bundesliga, BVB recently performed consistently well in the Champions League – and that continued against Paris. Despite the top-class PSG starting eleven, Borussia got into the game well and dominated the game in the early stages. Especially because the hosts pressed the French star ensemble around Kylian Mbappé and thus repeatedly forced them to make mistakes.

In contrast to the disappointing 0-2 in the first leg in Paris, Terzic did not rely on wall tactics this time. In attack, he relied on the lightning-quick Adeyemi, among others, to pose a threat to PSG on the counterattack. This time Niklas Süle started in central defense instead of Nico Schlotterbeck. And that paid off early.

Because the French got into the game a little better after a while. After almost 20 minutes, superstar Mbappé was free and only had to push it into the empty goal from a tight angle – but the rushing Süle was able to steer the ball out of bounds with a monster slide. The national player’s defensive action was met with loud applause. BVB was also lucky with Bradley Barcola’s (20th) shot hitting the post and Randal Kolo Muani’s attempt (24th).

Suddenly Dortmund’s defense wobbled because there was no pressure on the PSG defense at the front. Dortmund withdrew, which was the only way Paris came in better. Only when Borussia pressed higher again did things go much more their way. Adeyemi (32nd) and Mats Hummels (45th+1) missed the best opportunities.

An extremely entertaining game developed at Signal Iduna Park, which somewhat surprisingly initially lacked goals. If one team retreated more, the other became more dangerous. Accordingly, there was a lot of spectacle, which the spectators applauded loudly at halftime.

It didn’t take long until the audience was rewarded with the first goal. And it happened exactly as the course of the game had suggested – after a successful pressing action. BVB put Paris under pressure deep in their own half and won the ball. Via Ramy Bensebaini and Niclas Füllkrug he found Adeyemi, who shot in from close range.

But the joy didn’t last long because PSG equalized just five minutes later. This time BVB did not defend consistently and that was immediately punished. An unfortunate ball went to Zaïre-Emery, who made it 1-1 with a low shot. PSG remained dangerous afterwards, but the French were unable to score the winning goal. The exhausted BVB goalscorer Adeyemi had to leave the field injured after a sprint in the final phase.

AC Milan saves itself in the Europa League with a win against Newcastle

Thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 (0-1) win against Newcastle United, AC Milan secured themselves third place in the Dortmund Champions League group and avoided complete elimination from the European Cup. Only the lost direct comparison with Paris Saint-Germain cost Milan second place and the round of 16. Newcastle, on the other hand, slipped to fourth place on the last matchday and is no longer represented internationally.

Without DFB captain Ilkay Gündogan and other regular players in the starting lineup, FC Barcelona surprisingly lost to Royal Antwerp FC 2:3 (1:1). Gündogan prepared Marc Guiu’s equalizer with a free kick in stoppage time (90+1), but Antwerp then scored a third time through the 17-year-old George Ilenikhena (90+2). The Catalans, who had already qualified, still managed to finish first in the group because Shakhtar Donetsk lost 3:5 (1:2) to FC Porto. The Portuguese secured second place in Group H, Donetsk continues to play in the Europa League, Antwerp is out.

Atlético Madrid won the duel for victory in Group E and defeated Lazio Rome 2-0 (1-0). Feyenoord Rotterdam lost 1:2 (0:1) against Celtic Glasgow, but had already secured third place before kick-off. For the Scots it was their only win in the group stage.

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