“The first one who should have scored tonight was me” - Kylian Mbappe takes responsibility for PSG suffering Champions League exit to Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe has shouldered the responsibility for his team's 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. PSG failed to find the target even once over 180 minutes across two legs, losing 2-0 in aggregate.
Speaking to the press after the game, he said (via Goal):
"I tried to help my team as best as I could but I didn't do enough. When we talk about being efficient in the boxes, I think I'm the one targeted. I'm the guy who should score goals and be decisive."
Mbappe explained:
"When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow. That's not a problem. The first one who should have scored tonight was me. That's life and we have to move on, me and the team."
Hailing Dortmund as the more decisive team in the penalty areas, Mbappe added:
"I don't know if they were better than us. We don't need to denigrate them. In my humble opinion, they were superior in the two boxes. They came once or twice in ours and scored."
PSG hit the box six times in the tie across two legs. Giving his take on the matter, Mbappe concluded:
"We went often in theirs and we never managed to score. It's a fact. I don't like to talk about being unlucky. When you are good, it doesn't hit the post, it goes in. Today, we were not good enough, us the attackers."
Niclas Füllkrug scored the only goal in the first leg in Germany. Veteran defender Mats Hummels, the scorer in the second leg, won the Player of the Match awards on both occasions.
Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic happy with victory over Kylian Mbappe's PSG
Dortmund managed to book a spot in the Champions League final for the first time since 2013 when they lost to Bayern Munich. Speaking about the achievement, Dortmund boss Terzic told TNT Sports (via Al Jazeera):
“It’s a very proud moment for me and the club and the moment is not over yet. We showed a very good away game against a team that is so quick and mobile up front."
He added:
“To win both legs was unbelievable. It was a team performance and without that it’s impossible to keep a clean sheet. We had the best moment in the first half and the second half was about passion and belief to stop the shots and the crosses.”
In the summit clash, Dortmund will face one of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who will play their second leg on Wednesday (May 8). The two teams are tied at 2-2 after the end of the first leg at the Allianz Arena.