Hummels header sends BVB to Champions League final

Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the Champions League final after beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the second leg and 2-0 on aggregate.

The German side took a slim lead to Paris and knew they would be in for a tough night as Kylian Mbappe looked to lead his side to Wembley on 1 June.

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Warren Zaire-Emery hit the post for the hosts early in the second half before minutes later Mats Hummels headed home from a corner to put Dortmund in the driving seat at the Parc des Princes.

Nuno Mendes hit the post for PSG again on a night when things were not going their way and they thought they should have had a penalty after Ousmane Dembele went down in the box with half an hour left to play.

The referee initially gave a spot-kick but changed his mind and awarded a free-kick which VAR checked and cleared, despite three-quarters of Dembele’s body being in the penalty area.

Mbappe nearly snuck one in at the near post to level the scores on the night but Gregor Kobel got down well to deny the World Cup winner before captain Marquinhos flicked a header on and just past the post.

Mbappe was the next player to hit the woodwork with a difficult effort in the box and 30 seconds later Vitinha let one go from 25 yards and hit the frame again in what was nothing short of a remarkable series of events in Paris.

In the end, Dortmund held out to advance and there was a huge outpour of relief from the players and staff as they await the winners of Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich.

DORTMUND HAVE DONE IT! 🖤💛#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/vy9XTFuAKO

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 7, 2024

PSG have never won the Champions League and they looked on an early mission to pave their way to the final with Mbappe leading the charge.

The French champions started in a typically dominant fashion and it was their star man who was looking the most dangerous, once or twice getting the better of Julian Ryerson on the left-hand side.

Dortmund had the first real opportunity of the match with Niclas Fullkrug, who glanced a header on target but not troubling Gianluigi Donnarumma.

At the other end, Achraf Hakimi was growing into the game and put in a couple of dangerous crosses for Goncalo Ramos, who like Fullkrug, could only find the goalkeeper.

Mbappe’s first effort of the night came in the form of a volley but it was a tame strike and it would have taken something special to beat Kobel from the angle he was at.

On loan Jadon Sancho was once again proving he can still compete on the biggest stage and more than once dropped back to do some defensive work.

He also opted to try a few direct runs at the PSG defence but he was stood up by Mendes before the Portuguese defender charged forwards himself.

Donnarumma had to make a huge save from Karim Adeyemi in the first half as Dortmund countered and the young forward used his speed to get himself into the box and drive a shot towards goal.

The Italian goalkeeper read it well and got a glove on the ball just moments after Mbappe scuffed a shot at the other end of the pitch.

11 YEARS IN THE MAKING HEJA BVB WE OUT TO WEMBLEY AHHHHHHHHHHHH pic.twitter.com/LRAZsr0M3u

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) May 7, 2024

Bigger chances were starting to appear in the second half and Zaire-Emery had a massive opportunity to draw PSG level in the tie.

The youngster snuck around the back post and had an open goal to aim at but his half-volley came off the woodwork, causing most of the players on the home side to put their head in their hands.

Seconds later Dortmund had their big break and Hummels was left unmarked in the box to head home from a corner, causing an eruption of noise from the travelling away supporters.

It was the German’s first Champions League goal since 2018 and he nearly scored from an identical position less than two minutes after the opener.

The game was turning into an end-to-end affair and Mendes was the next PSG player to hit the woodwork before the players thought they should have had a penalty for a foul on Dembele that was just outside of the box.

Hummels then poked home from another set piece but the goal was ruled out for offside, with PSG running out of time.

Mbappe forced a good save from Kobel down at his near post before Marquinhos glanced a header wide and it just wasn’t looking like it was going to be the Ligue 1 side’s night.

Mbappe and Vitinha both hit the post in a hugely frustrating night for PSG and there was a feeling that they would not have scored even if they had played another 90 minutes.

In the end, Dortmund did enough across both legs to restrict the French side and with a little bit of luck were able to mark their spot in the final at Wembley, where they could face age-old rivals Bayern, or 14-time champions Madrid.