When the draw of the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League Group Stage was out, every football fan’s attention immediately went to Group F’s dog fight and dubbed it one of the toughest Group of Deaths in the history of the competition. Apart from defending French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and last season’s German Bundesliga 1 runners-up Borussia Dortmund, this UCL Season’s Group of Death also hosting both fourth-placed teams from the English Premier League and Italian Serie A last year, prompting many to wonder which two teams will come out on top and qualify for the knockout round from Group F.
In fact, after the group opener last night, it is evident that the remaining five matchdays will produce more intense battles between the four European outfits, with PSG now leading the Group of Death with three points after their win over Dortmund yesterday.
PSG on a Mission in This Season’s UCL
After losing both Lionel Messi and Neymar in the same summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain will have everything to prove that they can live without the South America strikers’ presence in this season’s French Ligue 1, domestic and European cup competitions. As a team dying to achieve more in the UEFA Champions League trophy hunt, French skipper Kylian Mbappé will be shouldering more responsibilities than ever this season, and the 24-year-old forward was the one who broke the deadlock during PSG’s Group of Death fixture against Borussia Dortmund.
Mbappé was in Luis Enrique’s starting lineup when they welcomed the German Bundesliga 1 powerhouse to Parc des Princes last night, and the 53-year-old made three changes to the initial 11, including the now-recovered club captain Marquinhos. Borussia Dortmund, on the other side, was structured to a 3-5-2 formation with all but two players retained in the starting lineup that beat past SC Freiburg 4-2 in the league.
After a goalless first 45 minutes, the home side got their breakthrough as soon as the game was resumed in the following period. Less than 70 seconds into the second half, new summer signing from Barcelona Ousmane Dembélé delivered a dangerous cross for his compatriot Mbappé to score, and the latter’s effort brushed Niklas Süle’s arm afterwards. The referee had no choice but to award PSG a penalty, which was converted by Mbappé despite Swiss keeper Gregor Kobel’s right guess. The strike is the 24-year-old’s eighth goal in five matches in all competitions for his club.
😍❤️💙
A wonderful #UCL night! ✨#PSGBVB pic.twitter.com/8ooyUMi0D8
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 19, 2023
Achraf Hakimi Sealed the Win for Paris with a Beautiful Strike
With momentum gained in this Group of Death match, the home team found another less than ten minutes later, when midfielder Vitinha received the ball off the opposition’s block. The 23-year-old Portuguese then drove to the penalty box and played a one-two with the charging right-back Hakimi, who then faked his defender and beautifully chipped the ball far post using the outside of his boot. The 2-0 score line remained till the final whistle of the match, meaning PSG currently have the advantage in the Group of Death of the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League.
This Group of Death match win is crucial to Paris Saint-Germain as they have bounced back from their league loss against OGC Nice last time around. When asked about the important victory, head coach of PSG Luis Enrique said: “What I liked the most? We were consistent. It was clear we were all full gas during the whole game. We were better during the whole game. The most important was to attack and create chances. We won the match thanks to our possession.” The former Spain head coach’s club will have substantial rest before playing host to Olympique de Marseille in a league game this Sunday.
Dortmund’s domestic archrivals Bayern Munich will host Premier League giants Manchester United in their Group A opener, read here on why the home side are the clear favourites in this match.
Honours Even Between AC Milan and Newcastle United in the Group of Death
In another Group of Death opening fixture between the Rossoneri and Magpies at San Siro, no goals were scored despite the home side’s staggering total of 25 shots as compared to the visitors’ six in the 90 minutes plus added time. It is also worth mentioning that this UEFA Champions League fixture saw the return of former Milan starboy Sandro Tonali to San Siro, in which he received huge applauses from the home fans when he was subbed off for Elliot Anderson with 18 minutes to go by manager Eddie Howe.
The 0-0 result of course left Stefano Pioli’s men in frustration and they will now look forward to overcome PSG’s opponents last night Dortmund in Matchday 2 to earn their first win in this Group of Death. In regard to this, stay tuned to OtherLeague.com for more latest information of the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League as well as other global sports competitions!
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