Paris – Borussia Dortmund loses the second leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League at Paris Saint-Germain and is eliminated. In addition to the fans, BVB also lacks the courage.
First the fans were missing, then the courage and then the adventure was over.
Borussia Dortmund is eliminated from the Champions League after a disappointing performance in the ghost game in Paris. Paris Saint-Germain turned the 2-1 defeat from the first leg in the second leg of the round of 16 and deservedly defeated BVB 2-0 (2-0) at home in Prinzenpark.
“I really missed the Dortmund fans. It was strange to play. This is sh***. I need them,” a frustrated Erling Haaland said afterwards. Also the other protagonists of the Dortmund fans mourned because of the fan exclusion.
Even the PSG stars around the strong goal scorer Neymar had to do without their fans – at least during the game. Afterwards, the players ran out of the stadium to their supporters, who had gathered in large numbers in front of the arena and ignited flares and fireworks already during the game. In the bath of the crowd the players of former BVB coach Thomas Tuchel celebrated their first appearance in the quarter finals after three futile attempts.
By that time, BVB had long since disappeared into the dressing room. In addition to the lack of fan support, they also lacked the courage to bring the existing class of the squad onto the pitch and score the important away goal. Sports director Michael Zorc put his finger in the wound at Sky: “The disappointment is great that we didn’t take the chance. We should have been better. We were not good enough. We had too many players under form.”
Favre: BVB expulsion “almost ridiculous”
Superstar Neymar (28th) and former Bayern professional Juan Bernat (45.+1) scored goals to knock out the Bundesliga runner-up, who never really found his way into the game in the unusual atmosphere, especially before the break. After a pack formation in the final phase, Emre Can (89.) was red-carded after a push against Neymar.
Lucien Favre struggled with the mistakes in front of goal: “The goals were totally unnecessary. It’s very, very expensive at this level.” The BVB coach rated Can’s dismissal after a tussle with Neymar as “much too harsh. It’s almost ridiculous. Neymar exaggerated a bit.”
Especially the first few minutes in the empty Prinzenpark seemed bizarre. As in training, every interruption, every touch of the ball was heard, the players’ discomfort was visible.
Mbappé first on the bench
Favre answered the question of “how?” with a 5-4-1 and Haaland as the only leader. At first, the concept worked: Although the Westphalians barely made it over the halfway line, Paris couldn’t get through. This was also due to the absence of world champion Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman had been tested negative for corona virus after a suspected case, but was initially sitting on the bench.