In the opening round of Group F of the Champions League, PSG defeated Dortmund 2-0 behind a goal from forward Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe scored for PSG in their eighth straight game, putting them in a commanding edge over the Bundesliga’s runner-up. He has totaled eight goals this season, which makes up 67% of the goals scored by the home team. Defender Achraf Hakimi, a close friend of Mbappe’s, scored the other goal to defeat Dortmund in Paris.
PSG controlled the ball for 78% of the first half and attempted 12 shots, but no goals were scored. They took two more shots and scored two goals in the opening half of the second half. The visiting team, on the other hand, failed to generate any meaningful opportunities and frequently lost possession of the ball before it could reach the midfield line.
PSG had to rely on a contentious circumstance despite being outmatched to score. Mbappe struck Niklas Sule in the arm in the 47th minute as the midfielder was lowering his body weight and was ready to place his hands on the ground. The home team was promptly given a penalty by referee Gil Manzano, and VAR did not overturn this judgment, despite the away team’s argument that Sule did not have enough time to react because of the close proximity of the two players.
Mbappe himself took a penalty shot to the bottom left corner of the net, prompting Gregor Kobel, the goalie, to stumble before he even had a chance to touch the ball. Previously in the competition, Kobel was awarded two penalties, but both times he parried attempts from Man City’s Riyad Mahrez and Sporting’s Pedro Goncalves.
When their top player scored the opening goal for the side in the competition, the majority of the Parc des Princes crowd got up and cheered. Mbappe is the most significant player for PSG, and the Champions League is the most significant competition.
Only nine minutes later, PSG added another goal, this one the result of an unplanned collision between Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi in the midfield. The Portuguese midfielder finally widened his space to allow the Moroccan player to past him, then flicked the ball from close range into the far corner of the goal. Hakimi made an effort to contain his delight after he scored a goal against his former squad, but he couldn’t help smiling when his teammates joined him.
Even though Dortmund did not generate many decent opportunities, the away team’s supporters continued to applaud the whole game. In an altercation with his opponent on the field, the player in the yellow jersey was issued a series of yellow cards. All Edin Terzic’s squad accomplished in Paris was that.
The first three criteria do not ensure that PSG will comfortably defeat Group F. However, with a strong showing, Luis Enrique and his squad may move up in the standings and perhaps pursue their first Champions League championship.
