05/01/24 04:34:00
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05/01 16:33 CDT Fllkrug fires Dortmund to 1-0 win over Mbapp's PSG in
Champions League semifinal first leg
Fllkrug fires Dortmund to 1-0 win over Mbapp's PSG in Champions League
semifinal first leg
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) --- Niclas Fllkrug scored and Borussia Dortmund earned
a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League
semifinal on Wednesday.
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck sent a long pass over the top for Fllkrug
to control brilliantly with his first touch before firing it past PSG
goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with his next in the 36th minute.
It gives Dortmund a narrow advantage before the teams play again in the second
leg in Paris next Tuesday, when the French champion will need to overturn the
result if it's going to capture Europe's biggest prize before Kylian Mbapp
leaves the club.
PSG is under pressure to finally win to the Champions League to justify more
than a decade of huge investment from its Qatari owners.
Dortmund's win ensured it qualified for the tournament next season and it gives
the Bundesliga five teams in the expanded tournament. Dortmund is assured of
finishing at least fifth.
Defender Lucas Hernndez went off injured after trying to stop Fllkrug from
scoring. It looked like Hernndez suffered a left leg injury.
PSG pushed hardest early in the second half, when Mbapp hit the right post
before Achraf Hakimi struck the left post.
Gregor Kobel saved Mbapp's next effort and Dortmund survived the pressure.
Fllkrug went on to miss further good chances for the German team, while
Marquinhos made a crucial block to deny Julian Brandt late on.
Ousmane Dembel should have scored on his return to Dortmund when he blazed a
shot over late, then Vitinha flashed a shot wide of the left post.
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic only made his first substitution in the 83rd, when
he sent on veteran Marco Reus for the exhausted Karim Adeyemi.
The winner of the two-leg tie will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in
the final in London on June 1. The old rivals drew 2-2 in their semifinal first
leg in Munich on Tuesday.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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