Milan's goals at St James' Park were celebrated as their own by a PSG that was not able to ensure its presence in the Champions League round of 16 on its own, but that presents itself as the rival to avoid for all the group winners in the lottery. Luis Enrique's team's draw in Dortmund did not guarantee them a ticket but the Rossonera comeback against Newcastle gave them the last push to qualify as second, surely deserved because the French team did well to win at the Westfalenstadion comfortably.
In fact, for half an hour, from the 33rd to the 62nd minute of the match, PSG was eliminated from the Champions League, the time that Newcastle was ahead in their match against Milan. The French were unable to win their match, the only result that guaranteed them passage – and as first – so they had to keep one eye on England until the end.
Having said all this, on the Dortmund green it was a beautiful match, very open, and if it had been a boxing match, PSG would have won by the unanimous decision of the judges. Donnarumma and Kobel were not bored in the cold German night, where the chances followed one another although with poor aim on both sides.
In just a quarter of an hour of play, each team had missed a very clear opportunity. Wolf, on the German side, and Kang In Lee, on the French side, shooting unopposed from the six-yard box. Mbappé began his recital shortly after but Süle deprived him of the goal with an incredible foreshortening under the sticks. Barcola then ran into the post. And Kolo Muani shot across the field when he could smell the goal. PSG was a hurricane of chances but where the goal was scored was in Newcastle, a goal that left them momentarily out of the Champions League.
The beginning of the second half increased the nerves. Marquinhos made a mistake with the ball and Fullkrug invented a play that ended with Adeyemi's goal. The situation was critical for Luis Enrique, who even with the almost immediate tie by Zaïre-Emery did not breathe much easier. It was Pulisic's goal in Newcastle that shook the nerves of a PSG that ended up locking up Dortmund. Mbappé missed one, missed another and scored the third, but the goal did not go up on the scoreboard due to a millimeter offside. Barcola had the last one to give the victory and first place to the French but Kobel excelled one last time. Mbappé's PSG came second. Everyone trembles.
1 - Dortmund: Kobel; Wolf (Schlotterbeck, m.69), Süle, Hummels, Bensebaïni; Brandt, Özcan (Sabitzer, m.69); Reus, Adeyemi (Reyna, m.81), Bynoe-Gittens (Malen, m.60); Fülkrug (Haller, m.81).
1 - PSG: Donnarumma; Achraf, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Lucas Hernández; Lee (Ugarte, m.68), Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha; Kolo Muani, Mbappé, Barcola (Asensio, m.82).
Goles: 1-0, m.51: Adeyemi; 1-1, m.56: Zaïre-Emery.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden). He showed a yellow card, for Dortmund, to Hummels (m.57); for PSG, to Marquinhos (m.45).
Incidents: Match corresponding to the last day of group F of the Champions League played at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.
