Playing at Signal Iduna Park, the home of Borussia Dortmund (BVB), is always a special moment for visiting teams. On match nights, with jerseys and scarves waved in the air, the largest stadium in Germany – some 81,000 seats – is adorned with a gleaming yellow dotted with black touches. Above all there is Südtribune, the south stand, where its most fervent supporters gather. This “wall” 40 meters high, 100 meters wide, with an inclination of 37 degrees, with incessant noise, which comes alive, rumbles, sings without stopping. An institution in the world of football.
On December 13, 2023, during the group stages, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was able to resist this formidable twelfth man (1-1). But the stakes of the evening were less: even before kick-off, BVB had validated their ticket for the round of 16 of the Champions League. This Wednesday 1er May, Borussia Dortmund and the capital club played a semi-final first leg. So, for the occasion, the entire stadium welcomed the slightest action from the locals as a decisive gesture. “The atmosphere was exceptional this evening”also greeted PSG coach Luis Enrique after the meeting.
When referee Anthony Taylor whistles the end of the game, the scoreboard shows 1-0 in favor of BVB. Silence invades the ranks of the more than 3,000 PSG fans who came to the Ruhr, although they were very lively throughout the evening. Kylian Mbappé and his teammates are on unfavorable waivers before the return match, at the Parc des Princes, Tuesday May 7. The Signal Iduna is exultant, the Borussia players come to commune with their “yellow wall”.
Two posts in the 51st minute
The club remains undefeated on home soil in eleven matches in the prestigious European competition, with a record that would make any opponent pale: 7 wins, 4 draws and 20 goals scored for only four conceded.
Above all, Dortmund emerges victorious from a duel in which they were not the favorites. “We know that Paris is now in its best shape”, had slipped his coach, Edin Terzic before this meeting. But, he insisted, “the main thing is that we have a chance (…) and if there is one, we must seize it. Maybe we are the team that has the least experience at this level, but we are the team that is the hungriest. This is what we must use to our advantage. »
Obviously, Parisians leave disappointed. However, they were able to quickly rebalance the debates after a good start to the match by the Germans. Then there was this goal from Niclas Füllkrug, launched deep by Nico Schlotterbeck (36e). Returning from the locker room, PSG raised the tone and could even have held the equalizer in the 51ste minute, when Mbappé played Marcel Sabitzer on the left and curled his shot which finally hit the post. In the process, Bradley Barcola shifts Achraf Hakimi into the area, the Moroccan shoots to the ground… Rebelote: post!
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