Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
Thanks to his team’s defeat of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund player Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champions League final.
On Tuesday night Mats Hummels converted a corner with a header in the 50th minute for Dortmund’s second 1:0 win over PSG in a week. The decisive defensive error leading to the goal was made by Lucas Beraldo, of all people, who replaced Lucas Hernandez in the PSG centre-back position after the latter had been ruled out with a torn cruciate ligament in the first leg.
As PSG pushed forward, Warren Zaïre-Emery (in the 47th minute from point-blank range), Nuno Mendes (61st from 21 metres), Kylian Mbappé (86th from seven metres) and Vitinha (88th from long range) all hit the post or crossbar in the second half.
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Dortmund’s victory in front of 48,000 spectators at the Parc des Princes was flattering given PSG’s squandering of chances. However, the visitors nevertheless earned their place in the final with a mature, combative, and disciplined performance.
First Swiss goalkeeper in the final
Dortmund, often inconsistent in the German domestic league but convincing in the Champions League, were once again well organised and defensively solid. Gregor Kobel kept a clean sheet for the sixth time in the competition – making him the first Swiss goalkeeper to make it into a Champions League final.
PSG’s efforts to make up for the deficit from the first leg were not helped by the fact that Kylian Mbappé moved from centre-forward to his preferred position on the left wing. The traditional centre-forward Gonçalo Ramos, who replaced Bradley Barcola in the starting eleven, did get a few shots on target but, like attacking stars Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, failed to score.
The French team controlled much more of the game but were too inefficient in front of goal. Dortmund also had the most dangerous move of the first half. Gigi Donnarumma prevented the visitors from taking an earlier lead in the 35th minute with a strong reflex save after a counterattack by Karim Adeyemi.
Memories of 1997
At the end of a complicated season with a meagre 5th place in the Bundesliga two games before the end, Dortmund are thus aiming for their second triumph on Europe’s biggest football stage. It is the club’s third final appearance in the Champions League after 1997 (3:1 win against Juventus Turin) and 2013 (1:2 defeat against Bayern Munich).
Dortmund’s opponents in the final at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1 will be the winner of Wednesday’s clash between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. In the first leg, the two teams drew 2-2 in Munich. Dortmund vs Bayern would be a rematch of the last Champions League final at Wembley eleven years ago.
Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/dos
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