Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (0-2 agg): Hummels header sends BVB into Champions League

Borussia Dortmund reached their third Champions League final after Mats Hummels’ second-half goal earned a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg, BVB came up with the goods at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday to seal a 2-0 aggregate victory.

Hummels headed home from a corner five minutes into the second half to send the German team, who won the title in 1997, into their first final in Europe’s top club competition since 2013.

PSG hit the woodwork four times but failed to find the net as Kylian Mbappe, who is widely expected to leave the club at the end of the season, was a shadow of his usual brilliant self.

Dortmund will meet either 14-time champions Real Madrid or their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, who clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, in the final.

That showpiece match will take place at Wembley on June 1. The last time the final was played in London was back in 2013, when BVB, coached by Jurgen Klopp, lost to Bayern.

With Mbappe on the left flank and Goncalo Ramos as a lone striker, the France forward had some space out wide and the possibility to cut in and threaten the Dortmund goal.

The visitors, however, were composed and held firm. Their confidence grew and they had their first opportunity through Julian Ryerson, whose shot hit the side netting.

Dortmund had a better chance in the 35th when, after a sharp counter-attack following a woeful Mbappe miss, Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a brilliant save to deny Karim Adeyemi.

Luis Enrique’s side stepped up a gear after the break with Warren Zaire Emery’s shot hitting the outside of the post after Mbappe’s attempt was deflected into his path by Ramos.

But Dortmund were more clinical as Hummels headed home from a corner to double their advantage over the two legs.

Ramos’s shot on the turn then went just over and Nuno Mendes’s 25-metre missile hit the post as PSG reacted swiftly, while Ousmane Dembele saw a penalty appeal turned down by the referee, who initially pointed to the spot before changing his mind.

Another Mbappe attempt was deflected onto the bar before Vitinha’s powerful shot also hit the woodwork as PSG’s Champions League curse continued.

35 & 143 – Aged 35 years and 143 days, Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels is the oldest German ever to score a goal in a UEFA Champions League knockout match. Goldie. #PSGBVB @BVB pic.twitter.com/k8lVWTC9a1

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) May 7, 2024

Data Debrief: Hummels the hero

Aged 35 years and 143 days, Hummels is the oldest German ever to score a goal in a Champions League knockout match.

PSG, on the other hand, have lost six of their seven Champions League semi-final matches (83 per cent), the highest ratio of any team to play at least five.