Handball penalty paves the way to deserved victory for PSG

Boris Rupert reporting from Paris

The French side dominated the match for 75 minutes, but needed a highly controversial handball penalty to take the lead shortly after the break. Kylian Mbappé made no mistake from the spot. Former Dortmund player Achraf Hakimi quickly added a second to make it 2-0 on 58 minutes following an impressive PSG move. Only in the closing stages did BVB play with more confidence and carved out some opportunities, but could not find the back of the net.

The scenario:   
BVB had won nine, lost six and drawn five of their 20 matches against opponents from France. It was the fifth encounter with PSG, and BVB went into the game with a head-to-head record of one win, two draws and one defeat. Paris Saint-Germain, finalists in the competition in 2020, went into the game unbeaten in 10 of 12 home matches against German sides (nine wins, one draw).

Personnel matters:   
With the exception of long-term absentees Thomas Meunier and Mateu Morey, as well as Julien Duranville (lacking match practice), the BVB coach had the full squad at his disposal, including Giovanni Reyna for the first time this season. Reyna took his place on the bench, alongside Rami Bensebaini and Sébastian Haller – the two changes from the 4-2 win against Freiburg, with Niklas Süle and Marius Wolf taking their spots in the starting line-up.

Tactics:   
BVB lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation for the first time this season. Mats Hummels was at the heart of back three, flanked by Niklas Süle on the right and Nico Schlotterbeck on the left. When Dortmund had possession, Wolf, Emre Can, Marcel Sabitzer (later replaced by Felix Nmecha) and Julian Ryerson, who had moved from the right to the left, formed a four-man midfield, with Julian Brandt operating behind the two lightning-fast forwards Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi. Without the ball, Wolf and Ryerson dropped in to form a back-five, with Brandt moving into the inside right of the midfield, creating another bank of three to act as a breakwater in front of the back line. PSG played in a classic 4-3-3 with three strikers, often complemented by the highly impressive Zaire-Emery and Vitinha, who pushed up from midfield when they had the ball.

The match & analysis:
From the first whistle, PSG put the Dortmund defence under a great deal of pressure, and remained resolute even when they lost the ball, giving the Black and Yellows little opportunity to string together several passes in succession. Dortmund were guilty of several misplaced passes in transition, but were still able to cause their hosts problems sporadically. This included not only three corners in the opening stages, but also the first big chance of the match, when Malen was found on the inside left. The Dutchman worked his way into the penalty area, but couldn't beat Donnarumma in the PSG goal, and Marquinhos was able to clear on 14 minutes.

It wasn't until the 19th minute that the French side created their first chance, with Vitinha hitting the post. By that time, BVB had already been forced into their first change, Nmecha replacing the injured Sabitzer with just 14 minutes on the referee's watch. Kobel was only troubled once in the first half, saving a Dembele shot from close range on 39 minutes. PSG had, however, turned the corner count around from 0-3 to 9-4 by the time the two sides headed into their dressing rooms at half time.

The second half was only one minute old when Dembele took off down the right-hand side. A quick one-two later, and he found himself just short of the by-line. The Frenchman pulled the ball back to find the run of his compatriot Mbappe, who fired the ball into Süle's hand from very close range. Referee Manzano pointed to the spot. VAR confirmed the decision, despite former FIFA referee Wolfgang Stark saying that it should be no penalty on German TV.   Mbappe stepped up and fired the ball down low to Kobel's right. The BVB shot-stopper did manage to get a hand to the ball, but couldn't prevent it from crossing the line.

PSG added a second shortly thereafter. This time, it was an excellent move that led to the goal. A double one-two between the impressive Vitinha and Hakimi unlocked the BVB defence. PSG right-back Hakimi found himself in space just seven metres out from goal and made no mistake, doubling the PSG lead to 2-0 after 58 minutes.

BVB never stopped trying, but their passes were still missing their mark and their attacks repeatedly came to nothing. Edin Terzic made a double change on the hour mark, Niclas Füllkrug and Marco Reus replacing Malen and Brandt, before Jamie Bynoe-Gittens came on for Can and Rami Bensebaini replaced the injured Wolf on 78 minutes. Substitute Bynoe-Gittens then had Borussia's second big chance of the evening, exchanging passes with Reus before hitting the outside of the post in the 79th minute. Füllkrug also saw a header sail narrowly wide of the goal with three minutes of regulation time remaining.

Outlook:   
On 4 October, BVB will play their first home game of the competition as they play host to AC Milan at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. Before that, they face two Bundesliga games, taking on VfL Wolfsburg at home (kick-off: 15:30 CET) on Matchday 5, before travelling to TSG Hoffenheim for Matchday 6. Kick-off in that one is at 20:30 CET.

Teams & goals

UEFA Champions League, Matchday 1
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN – BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-0 (0-0)

Paris St. Germain: Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez (Danilo Pereira, 88) – Ugarte – Zaire-Emery, Vitinha (Lee, 80) – Dembélé, Kolo Muani (Ramos, 80), Mbappé
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Süle, Hummels, Schlotterbeck – Wolf (Bensebaini, 76), Can (Bynoe-Gittens, 77), Sabitzer (Nmecha, 14), Ryerson – Brandt (Reus, 62) – Malen (Füllkrug. 62), Adeyemi
Bench: Navas, Tenas; Ruiz, Mukiele, Soler, Barcola – Meyer, Lotka; Reyna, Özcan, Haller, Moukoko
Goals: 1-0 Mbappé (pen. 49 (Süle handball)), 2-0 Hakimi (58, Vitinha)
Corners: 9-7 (half-time 9-4), Shots: 7-2 (3-1)
Referee: Manzano (ESP), Yellow cards: Schlotterbeck, Can, Ryerson
Attendance: 47,929, Weather: Dry, 20 degrees