Champions League - BVB first into round of 16 - Leipzig defeats Bern
The Champions League remains a feel-good oasis for BVB, who are struggling in the Bundesliga. In the 1:1 (0:0) draw against the star ensemble of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening, Dortmund had a lot of luck, but to the astonishment of the experts, they finished the hammer group F as winners. After a spectacular clash between the two teams in front of 81,365 spectators at the sold-out Signal Iduna Park, coach Edin Terzic's team can hope for an easier opponent in the draw for the round of 16 on Monday.
Karim Adeyemi (51st minute) had put the hosts ahead, but Warren Zaire-Emery (56th) equalized for PSG shortly afterwards. As a result, their opponents from the French capital, who were heavily funded by Qatar and considered title contenders, barely squeezed into the last 16.
Unlike in the Bundesliga, BVB have been consistently strong in the Champions League recently - and this initially continued against Paris. Borussia got off to a good start despite the high-caliber PSG starting eleven and dominated proceedings in the early stages. This was mainly because the hosts pressed the French star ensemble around Kylian Mbappé high up the pitch, forcing them to make mistakes time and again.
Leipzig end Champions League group stage with victory
Emil Forsberg's farewell present: the Swedish playmaker scored RB Leipzig to victory in the meaningless final group game of the Champions League. Forsberg scored in the 56th minute against Young Boys Bern to make the final score 2:1 (0:0) and was celebrated by the 43,331 fans in what was very probably his last appearance in the top flight. Forsberg's transfer to New York has yet to be officially confirmed, which is expected to take place this week. Benjamin Sesko (51) for Leipzig and Ebrima Colley (53) for Bern had previously scored.
In sporting terms, everything was already clear before kick-off. RB Leipzig were already guaranteed a place in the last 16 as runners-up in Group G, while the Swiss champions continued their international season in third place in the Europa League. The draw for the knockout round of the top flight will take place in Nyon on Monday.
Compared to the win in Dortmund, coach Marco Rose made eight changes to his starting eleven. The focus was on Peter Gulacsi, who was back in goal for a home game for the first time since tearing his cruciate ligament in October 2022. The Hungarian international also led the team onto the pitch as captain.
Stars and top scorers Loïs Openda and Xavi Simons were given a break and only came on in the final quarter of an hour, when Forsberg left to much applause. Liverpool loanee Fabio Carvalho was given a chance to prove himself in attacking midfield, with Christopher Lenz defending at left-back. In attack, Benjamin Sesko and Yussuf Poulsen should cause problems for the Bern defense around former Berlin player Fabian Lustenberger.
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Source: www.stern.de
