On the evening of May 7, Dortmund won the right to enter the Champions League final after defeating PSG 1-0 in the semi-final second leg (final win 2-0 after two matches).

The joy of Dortmund players after winning the right to enter the Champions League final

Dortmund’s victory was supported by many factors. First, we must admit that the German team entered the game with an extremely reasonable playing style. But to be fair, host PSG did not play well enough and was unlucky.

With the advantage of a 1-0 victory in the first leg, Dortmund entered the second leg match calmly and relatively relaxed. This made PSG increasingly rushed and lost accuracy in their coordination.

Despite the need for goals, PSG truly couldn’t establish overwhelming dominance in the first half.

Things became even more difficult for PSG when Dortmund found the opening goal in the 50th minute thanks to a powerful header from defender Matt Hummels.

Mbappe had a lackluster match against Dortmund

Young PSG defender Beraldo was completely beaten in the aerial duel with Hummels. He was also a weak point for PSG in this match, with many defensive situations lacking accuracy or resulting in mistakes and getting caught out of position. Dortmund effectively exploited Beraldo’s position to find a way towards Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal.

PSG only truly dominated in terms of momentum after Dortmund scored the opening goal. Partly because they were determined to push forward with nothing to lose. Another part because Dortmund retreated deep into their home field to protect their lead.

Hummel scored a header to open the score

In their dominant display, PSG also created quite a few dangerous opportunities. However, luck was not on the home team’s side as their shooters repeatedly hit the crossbar and posts of Dortmund’s goal.

With a staggering 6 times hitting the woodwork, PSG turned into the “unluckiest” team in the Champions League in the past 20 years.

In this match, Kylian Mbappe continued to perform below par. In fact, his two attacking teammates, Gonçalo Ramos and Ousmane Dembélé, played even worse. The cohesion of this trio was not strong enough for PSG to find a common voice in their attacks. In particular, Gonçalo Ramos frustrated fans with his clumsy finishing.

Mbappe may have played his last match for PSG in the Champions League

Coach Luis Enrique’s substitutions such as Lee Kang In or Marcos Asensio weren’t able to make a difference. The quality of PSG’s squad was too low, and it was truly difficult for them to respond when trailing behind.

In the end, Dortmund won 1-0 against PSG in the second leg, advancing to the Champions League final with an aggregate score of 2-0. This marks Dortmund’s first return to the Champions League final since the 2012-2013 season.

Dortmund’s opponent in the final will be the winner of the match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.