PSG optimistic about final chances despite defeat to Dortmund

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was hopeful his side would still reach the Champions League final despite a 1-0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday."It’s football. Very often it is marvellous and other times it is like this. We would have preferred to be in a different situation, but I think when you look at it it was a very even game,” the Spaniard said after his side were undone by a solitary Niclas Fuellkrug goal in the first half.The French champions had more possession and more attempts on goal but were hindered by wayward finishing and perhaps a lack of luck – Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi hit separate posts in the same move at one point in the second half."Nobody ever said it was going to be easy in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The boys in the dressing room are a bit down. We had one chance where we hit both posts,” Luis Enrique added. "You have to say this is an exceptional stadium but I am sure we will be very strong in Paris and we have nothing to lose.”It is just the fifth game PSG have lost all season, and the first time they have been beaten under Luis Enrique without scoring. However, they can take heart from the fact they have already defeated Dortmund at home in the current campaign, winning 2-0 at the Parc des Princes when the teams met there in the group stage in September.They also overturned a 3-2 first-leg deficit to knock out Barcelona in the quarter-finals by winning 4-1 in the return. Going further back, PSG knocked the German club out of the Champions League in the last 16 in 2020 with a 2-0 win at home after going down 2-1 away in the first leg."We are two teams who like to get forward, who like to have the ball, who press. It was a very physical match,” said PSG captain Marquinhos – who produced one crucial lunge to deny Julian Brandt late on. "In terms of the result it is true we had lots of good chances, especially in the second half, clear chances that we can’t afford to miss if we want to get to the final. At home we will really need to make sure we convert chances like that.”The Brazilian added: "It is always very difficult to play here. We wanted to come here and win. We didn’t manage to do that but it is only 1-0. "We have managed to do it in the past. We have shown we can do it, especially at home with the energy of our supporters. You can be sure it will be a different scenario there.”Dortmund need to improve in return leg: TerzicMeanwhile, Dortmund’s coach Edin Terzic saud next week’s return encounter in Paris will be far tougher. "We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one,” Terzic said. "It was a great teamwork performance that got us there. We wanted that small advantage. We know next week will most likely be tougher than today. This is just halftime and next week will be a different story. It won’t be easy to deal with their power play in front of a home crowd. We felt it today from the 45th to the 60th minute.”PSG improved after the break and twice hit the woodwork in the 51st minute while also missing several more chances. "We felt their quality. We showed our best game against PSG but next week they will have a euphoric backing of their fans and they will want to turn the tie around,” Terzic said.But Dortmund have already secured something tangible from the first leg, with their win confirming another Champions League spot for Germany for next season for which they look to be the main beneficiaries. They have struggled in the Bundesliga this season and are currently in fifth place with three games to play."We wanted to qualify for the Champions League through the Bundesliga and not this way,” Terzic said."But the fact that it will be enough to qualify as fifth is also partly down to our success, our contribution. Our minimum goal was to qualify for the Champions League. Now it (added spot) does not improve our Bundesliga season but it does offer a softer landing.”