“They were disastrous” - Fabio Capello slams superstar duo after PSG suffer Champions League exit vs Dortmund
Former England boss Fabio Capello has lambasted the performances of Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele on the wings in PSG's defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday (May 6). The Parisians lost 1-0 on the night to BvB in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg, going out 2-0 on aggregate.
Trailing by a solitary goal from the first leg in Dortmund a week ago, Luis Enrique's side were guilty of profligacy upfront, as they hit the woodwork four times. BvB, meanwhile, settled the game at the Parc des Princes with a second-half Mats Hummels strike to reach their first Champions League final in 11 years.
Following the Parisians' defeat - which ended their treble hopes - Capello didn't mince words for Hakimi and Dembele for not creating anything substantial from the flanks. He said (as per Football Italia):
“(Kylian) Mbappe didn’t do much, and he had a chance to score, but, usually, Hakimi on the right flank does something, same as Dembele. They were disastrous. They didn’t make a dangerous cross.”
Capello also criticised Enrique for ringing in the changes late:
“You can’t play only in the final 20-25 minutes. The coach should have made substitutions earlier. When he put in faster players in the second part of the match, we saw a different PSG, but those who started played too simply.”
The Ligue 1 champions were looking to reach their first Champions League final since 2020, second overall.
What's next for PSG after Dortmund defeat?
PSG endured their second straight European home defeat, having lost 3-2 to Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, which they eventually won 6-4 on aggregate.
After another first-leg defeat, this time at Dortmund, there was no encore, though, even at home, as the Parisians' European hopes ended for the season. There's little time to dwell on the defeat, though, as the Ligue 1 champions welcome Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Sunday (May 12).
Enrique's side are nine points clear at the top with three games to go, having already clinched a record 12th Ligue 1 title last weekend and 50th overall across competitions.
