Dortmund (AP) - Wonder striker Erling Haaland single-handedly defeated Thomas Tuchel and Paris Saint-Germain and paved the way to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for Borussia Dortmund.
The 19-year-old Norwegian scored both BVB goals in a rapid final phase in the 2-1 (0-0) victory in the first knockout round first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening with Tuchel, who was divorced from Dortmund in 2017, in a rapid final phase (69th and 77th Minute).
It was his first goal in the premier class for Borussia. In the preliminary round, Haaland had scored eight times for RB Salzburg in six appearances. In the Bundesliga, he has eight goals after five games for BVB.
BVB is now in a good starting position for the second leg on March 11 in Paris. Tuchel, whose team lost for the first time after 23 competitive games despite the hit by Neymar (75th), should face an open future in the event of a second elimination in the round of 16 despite a contract with PSG that runs until 2021.
The PSG coach, who left Dortmund in 2017 after a broken relationship with the club management, just like Favre chose a tactic that also showed respect for the quality of the rival. With opposing possession of the ball, a compact defense was the order of the day. Both teams mostly retreated far into their own half, trying not to let the opponent's offensive series develop at all. Tactically valuable, but captivating at first.
With more than one chance due to a free kick in the eleventh minute by Neymar, who was disappointing as well as world champion Kylian Mbappé, it was not enough for the 24 unbeaten guests. Tuchel looked anything but satisfied, repeatedly directing his team from the sidelines. The Dortmund team only needed a little time to get used to the surprising PSG triple chain in the defense.
However, there is no real fireworks from the side of the Borussia. "Very special things can develop in this stadium," said Tuchel before the kick-off. In the first 45 minutes, a slight plus developed for the Dortmunders, who were primarily driven by Jadon Sancho.
The Englishman also missed two chances when he pulled himself off after a counterattack instead of playing again in the 14th minute and in the 27th minute when he forced a parade with a right-handed PSG keeper Keylor Navas. The ball slapped on the outside net in the 35th minute with a shot from Haaland.
Due to the more reserved BVB style of play, he did not get as many balls at first, so Haaland could not play his strengths at first. Overall, BVB showed itself thanks to the very present international Emre Can but the much better performance in half one. Also found national team manager Oliver Bierhoff, who watched the game together with national coach Joachim Löw. "So far, Dortmund is doing quite well," said Bierhoff during the break at DAZN. There was less praise for PSG: "The games down here are a bit bored."
Up to the 65th minute. Then Mbappé, Neymar and Angel di Maria flashed their skills briefly. Roman Bürki was there. The BVB fans took a deep breath. And cheered only a short time later. Cross from the right side by Achraf Hakimi, direct acceptance from Sancho, which was blocked and deflected. Haaland couldn't miss the dust from a very short distance. The Norwegian was celebrated cross-legged like a Buddha in a BVB jersey.
What started off unspectacular was gripping in front of 66,099 spectators. On the other hand, Mbappé shone in his best scene with his speed and ball control and put the ball on Neymar. But then these special things happened in the BVB stadium, which Tuchel had feared before. From 20 meters Haaland catapulted the ball into the PSG goal.
UEFA press kit for the game
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