Champions League
Dortmund Needs To Improve In Return Leg At Psg, Says Terzic
Borussia Dortmund secured a 1-0 victory over Paris St Germain in the Champions League semi-final first leg with a disciplined performance. However, their coach Edin Terzic acknowledged that the upcoming return leg will pose a greater challenge for his team.
Niclas Fullkrug scored the decisive goal for Dortmund in the 36th minute, giving them a narrow lead heading into the return leg in Paris on Tuesday.
“We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one,” Terzic told a press conference. “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 half-time 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.” He said
PSG showed improvement in the second half and was unlucky to hit the woodwork twice in the 51st minute, in addition to missing several other scoring opportunities. “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.
Dortmund’s victory in the first leg has already guaranteed another Champions League spot for Germany next season, with the team poised to be the primary beneficiary of this achievement.
This season, they have faced challenges in the Bundesliga and currently sit in fifth place with three games remaining.
“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.”
