May 7th 2024.
In a recent post-match analysis, former professional footballers Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves expressed their disappointment in Ousmane Dembele's performance during Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The French champions were hoping to secure their spot in the final, but were instead defeated by a Dortmund team that is currently fifth in the Bundesliga.
Despite being previous winners and finalists in the Champions League, Dortmund managed to beat PSG 1-0 in the first leg and repeated their success with another 1-0 win in the second leg at Paris. This was a tough blow for PSG, who had hit the woodwork a total of four times in the match. Ultimately, it was Mats Hummels' header in the second half that sealed the victory for Dortmund.
While many were focused on Kylian Mbappe's underwhelming performance in both legs, Ferdinand and Hargreaves were more concerned with Dembele's lackluster performance. Ferdinand commented, "I thought he was really quiet over the two legs. Dortmund handled him really well. This is unusual for Mbappe, as we're used to seeing him step up in the biggest moments and games. But he was subdued throughout both legs."
Hargreaves then joined in, exclaiming, "How poor was Dembele today?" To which Ferdinand replied, "He was terrible." Clearly, both former players were disappointed in Dembele's contribution to the team's defeat.
Dortmund will now face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final, with the second leg of that tie set to take place at the Bernabeu. Hargreaves also praised Dortmund's performance, highlighting goalkeeper Gregor Kobel's important saves and praising the team as a whole for their exceptional performance.
Ferdinand added, "Individuals were performing all over the pitch. The two Dortmund centre-backs, Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck, were man of the match. It was clear that Dortmund was a confident team that knew what their task was. They made this PSG team look average."
The former Manchester United teammates continued to praise Dortmund for their remarkable win, especially considering their current position in the Bundesliga, 24 points behind Bayer Leverkusen. Hargreaves concluded, "Dortmund has shown that they are a proper team, capable of achieving great things. They have truly earned their spot in the Champions League final."
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