Füllkrug fires Dortmund to vital victory over PSG

Borussia Dortmund secured a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday night.

In a first half of few clear-cut chances, Niclas Füllkrug put the Germans ahead in the 36th minute, latching onto a lofted pass from Nico Schlotterbeck and firing the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Marcel Sabitzer came close to making it 2-0 just before the break, shooting from a good position, but couldn't get his effort past Donnarumma.

After a very quiet first half, PSG started the final 45 minutes on a different note and came agonizingly close to equalizing when Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi hit the post in quick succession in the 51st minute.

The French guests maintained their momentum, but still lacked the necessary ruthlessness as Fabian Ruiz headed wide five minutes later following a superb cross from Marquinhos.

However, Dortmund were able to relieve the pressure and threatened at the other end when Niclas Füllkrug headed over from a set piece in the 65th minute.

Apart from an effort from Ousmane Dembele, PSG didn't really threaten the Dortmund goal for the remainder of the match.

At the other end, the Germans came close to doubling their lead when Julian Brandt's shot from inside the box was blocked in the 84th minute.

In the end, however, there were no more goals, meaning Dortmund will take a valuable one-goal lead into next week's return leg in Paris.