Mats Hummels delivered a dream performance, scoring his first Champions League goal for Borussia Dortmund in over a decade to propel them into the final at the expense of a wasteful Paris Saint-Germain.
Hummels’ last UCL strike for the club before tonight came in February 2013 against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Now, 11 years later, his towering second-half header proved to be the decisive moment.
The 35-year-old’s goal secured a 1-0 win for Dortmund and a 2-0 aggregate victory over a disappointing PSG side.
Despite hitting the woodwork a staggering six times across both legs, the French giants lacked the clinical edge needed to overcome a well-organised Dortmund.
The Bundesliga’s fifth-placed team, under the tactical guidance of Edin Terzić, displayed superior defensive discipline and a potent counter-attacking threat throughout the tie.
Though PSG were expected to dictate pace of the game with their fans fully behind them, it was Dortmund who had the upper hand in terms of goal-scoring chances in the first half.
Karim Adeyemi nearly extended Dortmund’s lead in the first half’s most threatening moment, forcing a smart save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Second half
Shortly after the break, the momentum shifted slightly when Warren Zaire-Emery rattled the post for PSG.
However, Dortmund regained control on the 50th minute when Hummels rose above the defense to powerfully head home Julian Brandt’s pinpoint cross. This goal felt like the decisive blow, and it proved to be just that.
PSG upped the tempo but lacked composure, hitting the woodwork three more times.
Led by the defensive pair of Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck at the back, Dortmund remained relatively comfortable and secured a well-deserved victory.
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While Dortmund can now realistically dream of a historic cup run, Kylian Mbappé’s Champions League dream with his hometown club appears over.
As they celebrate, Dortmund are waiting to see whether it’s Real Madrid or Bayern Munich – the team that defeated them at Wembley in 2013 they would be facing in this season’s final billed for Wembley again.
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