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11 months ago
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Borussia Dortmund have secured the top spot in Group F of the Champions League by avoiding defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, in the final round of the stage. The Ligue 1 champions also progress to the knockout stage, having finished runners-up.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, as Karim Adeyemi gave the home side the lead in the 51st minute, and Warren Zaire-Emery equalized five minutes later.
The game
The share of the spoils between the two sides left the knockout-stage qualification in the hands of fate for PSG, so going into the round, they had more reason to aim for victory. Therefore, their domination in possession with 60% was to be expected. They also recorded more shots with a total of 18, while BVB had 10, the two teams hitting the target six times each. Out of the 560 attempted passes by PSG, 87% found their mark, while Dortmund recorded 78% out of 380.
It was a lively contest, with both sides causing plenty of problems for the opposition defences. The nets miraculously stayed still through the first half, as Marco Reus and Vitinha had their fine long-range shots saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma and Gregor Kobel, respectively, early on. In the 14th minute, Marius Wolf had a good opportunity to break the deadlock for Dortmund, but Lucas Hernandez deflected his attempt from around 12 yards wide, and then PSG wasted a number of big chances.
Only two minutes later, Lee Kang-in should’ve done it for PSG, but having been skillfully set up by Randal Kolo Muani, the South Korea international missed from six yards. No more than 60 seconds had passed since when Hernandez whipped a lovely long ball in behind the Dortmund defence, and Kylian Mbappe tamed it before going around Kobel. But just as a goal by the France captain seemed imminent, Niklas Sule turned hero for his team by making a sublime clearance off the line. Milan Skriniar had a good chance to score from the ensuing corner, but his shot from inside the box was stopped by Niclas Fullkrug. Minute 19 just expired as Bradley Barcola got on the end of a swift counterattack, hitting the post from just inside the box. Five minutes later, Mbappe made use of a blunder by Adeyemi and found Kolo Muani on the run, but as the striker got behind the Dortmund defence and faced only Kobel, he poked the ball wide of the post.
Dortmund hit back in the 26th minute when a scramble inside the PSG box gave Reus a chance to shoot from close to the penalty spot, but Donnarumma made another fine save. Six minutes later, the Italian goalkeeper stopped a long-range effort from Salih Ozcan and Adeyemi failed to convert from the rebound. Dortmund even had a penalty claim as the ball grazed Hernandez on the elbow inside the box in the buildup, but there was no real cause for it to be given.
In the final minute of the 45, Kolo Muani was again set up by Mbappe, but this time Kobel saved his shot. The PSG striker went down in the hope of getting a penalty for the visitors after the rebound, but referee Glenn Nyberg gave it no more thought than he had previously given Dortmund’s claim. The last chance of the half fell to Dortmund veteran Mats Hummels, whose header from close range went slightly off target.
Hummels arguably redeemed himself less than four minutes into the second half by stopping Achraf Hakimi from scoring against his former club.
And in the 51st minute, Hakimi and Marqunhos overcomplicated things deep in their own half, losing the ball eventually under pressure from Ramy Bensebaini and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Bensebaini managed to get the ball to Fullkrug, who pulled it back for Adeyemi, free at around seven or eight yards from the goal. From there, the 21-year-old didn’t find it hard to score.
At that point, Newcastle were leading 1-0 against AC Milan and things looked pretty bad for PSG. Had both matches ended then and there, the Ligue 1 giants would’ve been out of the Champions League.
However, PSG responded quickly. They attacked down the left, and the ball eventually reached Zaire-Emery at the edge of the box. The 17-year-old midfielder took one touch to set himself up and then fired, through the legs of Adeyemi and past Kobel.
Not wanting to depend on the outcome of the game at St. James’ Park, PSG continued attacking in search of a complete turnaround, and having narrowly missed once from the edge of the box, Mbappe put the ball in the back of the net in the 76th minute, but only to see it ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR review.
Barcola also had a good chance three minutes later, but Kobel stepped out to shorten the angle and saved his shot.
Warren Zaire-Emery
There can be no doubt about PSG unearthing a proper gem in Zaire-Emery. Aged only 17, the midfielder is showing great consistency and maturity far beyond his years. His contribution in the middle of the park Luis Enrique’s team is quite notable, and it’s therefore not surprising at all to see that he started 10 of the 15 Ligue matches PSG have played so far this season, missing three through injury and making two substitute appearances.
And now he has scored in a decisive Champions League match, saving his team from the clutches of defeat at the Signal Iduna Park.
Not even Jude Bellingham, the 20-year-old star of Real Madrid, currently tearing up La Liga and Champions League opponents alike, made such an impact when he arrived at Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City three years ago. That doesn’t, of course, mean that Zaire-Emery is destined for the same stellar path – a large number of factors will be influencing his further development, and many highly talented teenagers amounted to very little in later stages of their careers.
But the fact is, Warren Zaire-Emery has all the makings of a terrific young prospect, a boy who could become a world-class player in the near future.
The end of the group stage
In the end, Dortmund have finished top of the group with 11 points. Thanks to a complete turnaround at St. James’ Park, AC Milan ended on the same tally as PSG, but with Enrique’s team doing better in head-to-head clashes, the Rossoneri will have to settle for a place in the Europa League playoffs.
As for Newcastle, their European involvement ends here, as it does for Manchester United who finished last in Group A.
