Borussia Dortmund demolished Augsburg 5-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday in a perfect dress rehearsal ahead of next week's Champions League semi-final return leg at Paris Saint-Germain.

Dortmund, who face PSG on Tuesday after their 1-0 first leg win in Germany earlier this week, enjoyed a whirlwind start with three goals in the first 29 minutes.

Youssoufa Moukoko struck either side of Doneyll Malen's 20th minute goal to quickly put the game to bed.

Augsburg cut the deficit in the 32nd minute with Ruben Vargas but the visitors restored their three-goal cushion through Marco Reus, who will leave the club after 12 years at the end of the season, in the 34th.

He then delivered his second assist of the game for Felix Nmecha to make it 5-1 in the 64th.

Reus, aged 34 years and 339 days, is the oldest player to be directly involved in three-or-more goals in a Bundesliga match since Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery against Wolfsburg in March 2019.

Dortmund, who have secured a Champions League spot for next season, are in fifth place on 60 points, three behind fourth-placed RB Leipzig.

Borussia Dortmund can rotate their side for this weekend's game with Augsburg after their win over Paris Saint-Germain in midweek secured Germany a fifth place in next season's Champions League.

Those are the thoughts of coach Edin Terzic ahead of Saturday's home game.

Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga, and with a 12-point gap over Eintracht Frankfurt and three games remaining, they are guaranteed a place in the Champions League, and can concentrate on the semi-final second leg against PSG on Tuesday, with a 1-0 advantage.

Terzic told reporters: "Obviously we are thinking about having energy and freshness tomorrow. We will rotate as we have done in the past but we will have a very good team on the pitch tomorrow.

"We will think about freshness. We will also think about giving chances, as there is no huge pressure tomorrow with our minimum goal secured."

Forward Sebastien Haller remained on the bench for the home win against PSG on Wednesday, and will be rested against Augsburg, but others who were involved should make an appearance, even if not for the full game.

"Rotation does not mean someone will not play at all but that you can spilt up participation times," Terzic said.

"We came through Wednesday's game pretty well. Only Sebastien Haller didn't feel well in the warm-up, we won't risk him for tomorrow but he is fine for next week."

Despite there being less pressure, Dortmund should still have plenty of motivation against Augsburg, especially after their 4-1 defeat at RB Leipzig last weekend and with just one win in their last four league games.

"It is a Bundesliga game at home and we have to do a bit better, especially at home. We have one month, and we have to show good performances and tomorrow everyone on the pitch can show how valuable they are for the club," Terzic added.

"If we have to talk about motivating them to play in front of 81,000 in the Bundesliga against Augsburg then we have a problem."

Dortmund are on 57 points, six behind Leipzig, while Augsburg are ninth in the standings on 39 points.

Marco Reus will leave Borussia Dortmund when his contract expires at the end of the season, the club have announced. 

Reus, a Dortmund native, first joined the club in 1995 and spent 10 years in their youth ranks before joining Rot Weiss Ahlen, who he left for Borussia Monchengladbach in 2009.

After three impressive seasons with Gladbach, Reus returned to Dortmund in a €17million deal in 2012 and has made 424 appearances for the club across all competitions.

That puts him fourth in BVB's all-time charts behind Michael Zorc (561), Mats Hummels (504) and Roman Weidenfeller (445), while his 168 goals in black and yellow have only been bettered by Alfred Preissler, who scored 177 in two spells between 1945 and 1959, before the Bundesliga was founded.

Reus, who has won the DFB-Pokal on two occasions with Dortmund and helped them reach the Champions League final in his first season upon returning in 2012-13, was also club captain between 2018 and 2023.

As news of his impending departure was made public, he said his full focus is on ensuring his final game with the club is June's Champions League final at Wembley Stadium.

"I'm incredibly grateful for and proud of this special time at my club Borussia Dortmund," the 34-year-old said.

"I have spent more than half of my life at this club and enjoyed every day, even though there have of course been difficult moments too. 

"I already know now that I will find it difficult to say goodbye at the end of the season, and yet I'm happy that there is now clarity and that we can focus fully on the very important final games that we still have to play. 

"We have a big objective in our sights that we all want to achieve together. To do so, we will need every single one of our unbelievable fans, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks for their unbelievable support over the years."

Reus came on as a late substitute as Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final tie on Wednesday, with Niclas Fullkrug scoring the only goal of the game.

Lucas Hernandez will miss France's Euro 2024 campaign after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund will take a slender lead to the Parc des Princes for next week's semi-final second leg after Niclas Fullkrug's strike powered them past PSG in Wednesday's first leg in Germany.

Hernandez sustained a knee injury while chasing after Fullkrug in the build-up to the goal and was substituted after a brief attempt to play on.

On Thursday, PSG announced an MRI scan had revealed an ACL tear in his left knee, which will require surgery in the coming days.

Hernandez, who has 37 senior international caps, will now miss Euro 2024, with France set to open their Group D campaign against Austria in Dusseldorf on June 17.

Didier Deschamps' side then face the Netherlands in Leipzig four days later, before taking on Poland in Dortmund on June 25.

Hernandez was part of France's squad for the 2022 World Cup but sustained another ligament injury during Les Bleus' opening match against Australia, missing the rest of the tournament and not returning to club football until the start of 2023-24.

Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said he was not surprised by Jadon Sancho's quality after the on-loan forward helped the German side to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg tie of their Champions League semi-final.

Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($91.11 million) in August 2021 but failed to hold down a regular spot and returned to Germany after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.

After impressing on the right wing against PSG, Terzic said he always sees Sancho's quality in training.

"It's maybe not so easy to bring it onto the field, especially when you haven't had rhythm for a while," he told reporters.

"We know his quality, and we saw it again today. We knew we needed a performance like that from Jadon."

Dortmund bagged the winner in the 36th minute through Niclas Fullkrug to take a slim advantage going into Tuesday's return leg in Paris.

Despite winning the first leg, Terzic knows that the tie is still all to play for in the second leg.

"We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one. 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," he said in a press conference.

"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.

"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.

It is a victory that, coupled with Bayern Munich’s draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday, secures Germany a fifth automatic Champions League spot next season.

"We wanted to qualify for the Champions League through the Bundesliga and not this way. But the fact that it will be enough to qualify as fifth is also partly down to our success, our contribution," Terzic added.

"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."

Luis Enrique is hoping Paris Saint-Germain's home support proves the difference in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund.

PSG must try to overturn a 1-0 deficit when BVB visit the Parc des Princes next week.

Dortmund's Niclas Fullkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal victory over visitors PSG, who had more possession throughout Wednesday's game but could not take their chances at Signal Iduna Park.

While PSG beat Barcelona in the quarters and Real Sociedad in the last 16, playing the second leg away both times, Luis Enrique knows their home fans could be crucial if they are to reach the final at Wembley on June 1.

"We saw an even match with two teams that play good football when they have the ball," Luis Enrique told reporters.

"We both created many scoring chances. This time our opponents scored and we didn't. The result reflects how close the game was.

"In the last two rounds, they had the home game as their second game, whereas it was the other way round for us. Now it's a different and new scenario, we'll have the crowd on our side in the second leg.

"I would have liked to create the chances we have created, but you have to be effective to score. We'll see what version we show in Paris."

Despite creating more chances after the break, PSG lost without scoring for the first time across all competitions this season.

"We missed our chances in the second half," PSG defender Achraf Hakimi told Canal+.

"We knew what they were going to do, with long through balls. We were very focused, the coach repeated it all week."

PSG have progressed from two of their previous four Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, with the first of those coming against Dortmund in the last 16 in 2019-20.

"We've come back from 1-0 down before," added PSG captain Marquinhos.

"We've shown that we can do it, especially at home, with the energy of our supporters, it's going to be a different scenario. We know we can do a lot better. We just need to take our chances and be more decisive.

"We conceded a goal that we shouldn't have conceded, and we've been talking all week about these deep passes from this Borussia team. It's the details that make all the difference, and we're going to do better in the next game if we want to go through."

Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho issued a reminder of his star quality as Borussia Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday.

Niclas Fullkrug scored the winner after 36 minutes, taking in Nico Schlotterbeck's floated pass before driving a low shot beyond PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Fullkrug has now been involved in six Champions League goals this season (three goals, three assists), the joint-most by a German player in their debut campaign in the competition, alongside BVB team-mate Marco Reus in 2012-13 (four goals, two assists).

The star of the show, however, was undoubtedly Sancho.

He tormented Nuno Mendes throughout a lively performance, creating three chances for his team-mates – a game-high tally alongside Julian Brandt, Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.

Sancho had completed seven dribbles by the halfway point, more than he managed in any full game for the Red Devils.

By full-time, that number had crept up to 12, the most by any player in a Champions League semi-final since Lionel Messi completed 16 for Barcelona against United in April 2008, and the most on record by an Englishman at any stage of the competition (since 2003-04).

Sancho even outshone Mbappe, who struck the far post with a curling effort early in the second half but was limited to just three shots totalling 0.17 expected goals (xG). 

PSG did have their chances, though, with their total of 14 shots their most without scoring in any Champions League game since the second leg of their 2020-21 semi-final against Manchester City (also 14), when they were beaten 2-0 and eliminated from the competition. 

Dortmund are now unbeaten in 11 straight Champions League home games, winning seven and drawing four. 

It's their longest ever such streak at Signal Iduna Park, and they have also won four straight knockout games on their own turf for the first time in their Champions League history.

While Dortmund have a valuable lead to protect in Paris next Tuesday, Edin Terzic will be expecting a strong reaction from PSG.

The Ligue 1 champions have progressed from two of their last four Champions League knockout ties when losing the first leg, with the first of those successes coming against Dortmund in the last 16 in 2019-20 (1-2 away, 2-0 at home).  

Niclas Fullkrug fired home a first-half winner as Borussia Dortmund claimed a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in Germany.

Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Fullkrug's path and the Germany international brought the ball under his spell with a wonderful touch before drilling a low shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.

PSG, on the back foot for much of the first half, improved after the break and struck the woodwork twice in a matter of moments just after the restart.

Kylian Mbappe curled an effort against the right-hand post before Achraf Hakimi scuffed a shot against the other upright on the rebound as Edin Terzic's side escaped with a first-leg lead.

The teams will meet again at the Parc des Princes next Tuesday, with the winners of the tie facing either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid – who drew 2-2 in their first leg on Tuesday – in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund served up plenty of entertainment in the Champions League quarter-finals, and their last-eight meeting promises more of the same, says Luis Enrique.

Both sides came back from first-leg defeats to reach the semi-finals, PSG winning 4-1 in Barcelona after a 3-2 loss in the French capital and Dortmund downing Atletico Madrid 4-2 to recover from their loss in Spain.

"I think that is the way it went in the quarter-finals based on the playing style of Dortmund and the way that we play," PSG head coach Luis Enrique told a press conference.

"I think it could be a wonderful spectacle, not just for the two fan bases, but for everybody who loves football. I think there will be goals, given the quality and the ability to reach the opposition goal on both teams."

PSG had never before overturned a first-leg defeat at home in the Champions League, and while the Spaniard believes it can help his players, he also knows that history counts for little at this stage.

"I do hope it liberates us because this is something that we haven't done before after losing the first leg. I also have experience that shows how important it is to be competitive tomorrow," Luis Enrique said.

"What we achieved previously doesn't matter. History is great, but our goal is to win tomorrow. We don't want to leave it to chance and think about the second leg at the Parc des Princes."

History may weigh on the minds of PSG, too, given they have lost all four games of their previous two-legged Champions League semi-final ties – against Milan in 1994-95 and Manchester City in 2020-21.

The Parisians did win their one-legged last-four meeting with RB Leipzig in the disrupted 2019-20 season, though, while Dortmund have reached the final on two of their three semi-final appearances.

Dortmund and PSG have already met in this season's competition as well, with the German side topping their group, but PSG beat them at Parc des Princes and managed a 1-1 draw in the away meeting.

Luis Enrique thinks his team, who secured their third consecutive Ligue 1 title on Sunday, have improved since then – and suggested there is even more to come.

"We have improved in all areas. We are better defensively, better going forward," the former Barcelona boss continued.

"We can keep improving for sure. And that is one of the characteristics of our way of managing the club and the team, by trying to be demanding, not thinking that everything is done."

PSG appear favourites to go through given Dortmund have only won one of their six meetings with the French side in all competitions (D3 L2).

Dortmund overcame PSG 2-1 in the first leg of the 2019-20 Champions League round of 16 before being eliminated 3-2 on aggregate, and Luis Enrique expects another difficult task on Wednesday.

"That shows that the press doesn't know much about football," he joked ahead of the first meeting at Signal Iduna Park.

"I have said that for a long time. What is great about being here is enjoying a really special game at a unique stadium in Europe and having the chance to make our fans really happy by reaching the final."

A tough challenge awaits for PSG, however, considering Dortmund are unbeaten in their last 10 Champions League home games (W6 D4), their longest-ever such run in the competition.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and forward Donyell Malen are likely to be fit in time for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at home against Paris Saint-Germain, coach Edin Terzic said on Tuesday.

Dortmund will also have Emre Can and Ian Maatsen back from suspension, while Sabitzer, who was out ill for several days, and Dutch international Malen, recovering from an injury picked up during the March international break, have returned to training.

"Marcel and Donyell both took part in training. We expect that they will be at our disposal tomorrow," said Terzic.

"Marcel is feeling better, and we need him in his form from before his illness tomorrow."

Dortmund have struggled in the league this season and on Saturday suffered a crushing 4-1 loss to direct rivals RB Leipzig, who held on to fourth place, leaving them in fifth with three matches remaining.

The top four teams qualify for the Champions League group stage next season.

Germany is likely to earn a fifth spot as one of the top two in UEFA's coefficient table depending on the remaining results in European competition this season.

Dortmund's deep Champions League run this season, however, has kept fans hopeful of some silverware.

The sides also met in the group stage, with the French side winning 2-0 in Paris before a 1-1 draw in Dortmund.

"You could sense in the return leg that we had learned the lessons from the first game," Terzic said.

"Now PSG look to be at their very peak this season with only one defeat in 2024 and a good run of results. We will have to show an improved performance from that in Dortmund."

"We are confident that will show it tomorrow and next week in Paris. The clear goal is to gain a small advantage after the game tomorrow. We know we have to play at least 180 minutes at the highest level to have any shot at our dream."

Champions League semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund suffered a crushing 4-1 Bundesliga defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig on Saturday, denting their hopes of a top-four finish.

Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho put Dortmund ahead after 20 minutes with a curling effort from the left corner of the box, but Edin Terzic's team couldn't hold on.

Lois Openda levelled within three minutes, and Benjamin Sesko pounced with a close-range finish to put Leipzig ahead on the stroke of half-time.

Mohamed Simakan made it 3-1 just one minute after the restart, then Christoph Baumgartner came off the bench to add a fourth with 10 minutes to play.

Dortmund, who host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday, stay fifth, five points behind fourth-placed Leipzig.

They will likely have to wait on confirmation of Germany earning a fifth Champions League qualification place for next season, which was made more likely by a dismal set of results for England's clubs throughout the European quarter-finals earlier this month.

Data Debrief: Dynamic duo lead Leipzig to victory

Goals from Openda and Sesko ensured Leipzig turned Saturday's game around before the halfway point, both players netting in their fourth successive Bundesliga game together. 

They are the first pair of team-mates to achieve that feat since Dortmund's Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did so in February 2015.

 

Borussia Dortmund are bracing for their two most important matches of the season.

Saturday's game at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga is followed by a Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Paris-Saint Germain on May 1.

With the league title already wrapped up by runaway leaders Bayer Leverkusen, attention has shifted to the battle to qualify for the European competitions next season.

Dortmund's unexpected success in Europe has thrilled fans but the team's future in the continent's top club competition beyond this term could rest a lot on the result against Leipzig.

BVB are in fifth place on 57 points with Leipzig fourth on 59 and four games left in the campaign. The top four teams qualify for the Champions League group stage, although Germany is likely to earn a fifth spot as one of the top two in UEFA's coefficient table depending on the remaining results in European competition this season.

A Dortmund defeat against Leipzig would see them drift five points behind their rivals with three games remaining, so Edin Terzic's side are aiming to keep hot on their rivals' heels.

"It is a very important, decisive game against Leipzig," said Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck.

"They are our direct rivals and it is a big difference for us finishing fourth or fifth.

"We lost against them earlier in the season and now we want to win this. It is the fight for fourth place."

Dortmund conceded a last-gasp equaliser in last week's 1-1 draw against Leverkusen but have won five of their last seven league games, including a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich.

"It is extremely important for us to keep trying with 100 per cent to get that fourth place," said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

"We cannot sit back and relax until we have achieved that. We must maintain focus and step on the gas."

RB Leipzig are determined to wrap up a top-four Bundesliga finish, despite fifth spot possibly earning a place in next season's Champions League, the club's chief business officer said on Thursday.

Leipzig, who host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, are fourth on 59 points, two ahead of Dortmund with four games left in the season. A win would put the Saxony club firmly in the driving seat for a top-four finish.

The top four qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage, although Germany is likely to earn a fifth spot as one of the top two in UEFA's coefficient table depending on the remaining results in European competition this season.

"That (potential fifth spot) involves a lot of data and statistics," said Leipzig CBO Johann Plenge in a media call. "We are not spending too much time on this discussion."

"This is not something we take too much into consideration. We have the ambition to be a top-four club and to be that you have to finish in at least fourth place," he said.

Leipzig, who will go on a U.S. tour from July 28-Aug. 4 and will play Aston Villa in New Jersey, also competed in the Champions League this season, losing to Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the round of 16.

"The match (against Dortmund) is extremely important. We are very focused and 100% confident we will give everything on the pitch," Plenge said.

"I think we have a very good situation to finish the season as a top-four club."

Plenge said for the new season the club planned to hold on to their top performers, unlike last year when several key players, including Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku and Konrad Laimer, left, forcing a big overhaul.

"We had a very intense transfer period last summer. We developed some great players [for] the Premier League. We want a less intense transfer period and to keep the players together," Plenge said.

"Having them in our team next season is what we will do in the summer."

Josip Stanisic’s late header extended Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible unbeaten run as he salvaged a 1-1 Bundesliga draw at Borussia Dortmund.

In a game of few clear-cut chances between either side the visitors arguably had the best opportunities in the second half through Alejandro Grimaldo and Nathan Tella.

However, drama followed in the late stages when Niclas Fullkrug’s powerful strike gave Dortmund the lead in the 81st minute, but Stanisic struck deep into stoppage time to level.

A point means the Bundesliga champions remain unbeaten in 45 games in all competitions this season, while Dortmund sit two points away from RB Leipzig in the fight for a Champions League spot.

Leverkusen had an early chance when Jeremie Frimpong headed wide of the target, but a sluggish start to the game produced only half-efforts from Jonas Hofmann and Julian Ryerson.

The visitors were awarded a free-kick just outside the area in the 38th minute but Grimaldo’s dipping strike dropped onto the roof of the net.

Leverkusen began to adventure into Dortmund territory after the break, but the home defence were quick to smother any potential attacks.

They came close in the 57th minute when Grimaldo threatened from a set-piece, but his quick free-kick was tipped over the bar by Gregor Kobel.

Kobel made a fantastic save in the 68th minute when Hofmann hooked a cross into Tella, who sprinted in at the back post to stab home but the Dortmund goalkeeper managed to hold onto the ball on the goalline.

Dortmund found the breakthrough in the 81st minute when a cross fell to an unmarked Fullkrug in the box and, although goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky got a hand to it, he could only guide the striker’s powerful shot into the net.

A fracas broke out in the 87th minute and Victor Boniface had a red card overturned by VAR before Leverkusen saved their incredible unbeaten record in the seventh minute of added time from a corner when Stanisic flicked a header into the bottom corner.

Kylian Mbappe struck twice as Paris St Germain capitalised on the dismissal of Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 win in the second leg.

Barcelona ran out at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys armed with a 3-2 triumph from their first meeting in Paris and when Raphinha capitalised on Lamine Yamal’s skilful approach work to fire the opener, they had sight of the last four.

But a setback came in the 29th minute when defender Araujo was sent off for tripping winger Bradley Barcola on the edge of the area, VAR confirming the on-field decision for a red card.

The pressure built on the home goal and PSG hit back through Ousmane Dembele in the 40th minute before Vitinha drilled the French champions into the lead on the night.

Barcelona’s frustration extended to their manager Xavi, who was sent off for kicking some water bottles, and the Spanish club’s misery was complete when Mbappe was on target from the penalty spot before adding a late second for a 6-4 aggregate win.

PSG will face Borussia Dortmund in the penultimate round after the German club overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg to topple Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate.

In another pulsating quarter-final, Dortmund went 2-0 up through Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen before a Mats Hummels own goal and Angel Correa’s strike levelled the score.

Atletico were in the driving seat but the hosts responded magnificently with Niclas Fullkrug and Marcel Sabitzer hitting the target to ignite celebrations at the Westfalenstadion.

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