Dortmund PSG notes

Fullkrug fires Dortmund into deserved lead

While PSG received a pre-match boost with the news that Nuno Mendes was fit to start at left-back following an injury scare, the Portuguese quickly came under siege from a fired-up Dortmund side.

Attacks down the right through Jadon Sancho and Julian Ryerson were proving particularly effective for BVB, who forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into the first meaningful save in the 14th minute, but the angle was too tight for Marcel Sabitzer to beat the Italian.

Down the other end of the field, a couple of half-chances came and went for ex-Dortmund product Ousmane Dembele, but Kylian Mbappe was largely starved of service and did not manage a single attempt in the first 45.

The same could not be said for his opposite number Niclas Fullkrug, through, as with 36 minutes on the clock, the Dortmund talisman broke the deadlock in true number nine fashion.

For all of their promising build-up sequences, it was one ball over the top that carved the PSG backline open, as Nico Schlotterbeck's inch-perfect pass sailed through to Fullkrug, who timed his run to perfection, took one exquisite touch and fired a low strike down to Donnarumma's right.

Dortmund's lead was fully warranted, and things went from bad to worse for PSG when Lucas Hernandez was withdrawn through injury in the 42nd minute; Luis Enrique held fire on making an offensive change and introduced Lucas Beraldo in a like-for-like swap.

With one minute of normal time remaining, Donnarumma once again denied Sabitzer - this time on the volley - to keep Dortmund's lead at just the one, and neither manager saw any need to make any half-time alterations.

Edin Terzic's men were highly fortunate to cling onto their lead just six minutes into the second period, though, as both Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi struck the inside of the post during a chaotic and ominous few seconds.

The former then sent a stinging drive straight into Gregor Kobel's midriff in the 54th minute as PSG ramped up the pressure, but the ball just would not go in for the French champions, as Fabian Ruiz then horrifically sent a 56th-minute header well wide with most of the goal at his mercy.

Wastefulness was not just limited to the French champions, as Fullkrug then spurned a magnificent chance for his second on the hour mark, volleying over the top from close range after brilliant work from Sancho to get to the byline.

The Dortmund goalscorer then felt hard done by not to win a penalty after a slight - albeit inarguable - nudge in the back from Mendes as he rose for a header, and PSG soon went back to squandering opportunities.

Dembele was the guilty party on two occasions, as Kobel managed to get a slight hand on his weak shot in the 72th minute, eight moments before the Frenchman fired over the bar from Hakimi's brilliant cutback.