Fullkrug goal gives Dortmund a leg-up in semi with PSG

Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck sent a long pass over the top for Fullkrug to control brilliantly with his first touch before firing it past PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with his next in the 36th minute on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

"It's not the first time I've tried to stick the ball in at the near post this season. This time it worked out and I'm even happier that it's in such an important game," Fullkrug said.

It gives Dortmund a narrow advantage before the teams play again in the second leg in Paris next Tuesday, when the French champions will need to overturn the result if they are going to capture Europe's biggest prize before Kylian Mbappe leaves the club.

PSG are under pressure to finally win to the Champions League to justify more than a decade of huge investment from their Qatari owners.

Dortmund's win ensured they qualified for the tournament next season, and gives the Bundesliga five teams in the expanded tournament. Dortmund are assured of finishing at least fifth.

Roared on by most of the 81,365 fans present, Dortmund made the busier start and maintained their intensity for the whole game. The home team ran 119.7km - almost 10km more than the visitors.

Defender Lucas Hernandez went off with an apparent left leg injury after trying to stop Fullkrug from scoring.

PSG pushed hardest early in the second half, when Mbappe hit the right post before Achraf Hakimi struck the left post.

Gregor Kobel saved Mbappe's next effort and Dortmund survived the pressure.

Fullkrug went on to miss further good chances for the German team, and Marquinhos made a crucial block to deny Julian Brandt late on.

"It would have been nice if we could have made our counterattacks count to get a second goal at the end," Dortmund veteran Mats Hummels said. "But now we have to come through in Paris."

Ousmane Dembele should have scored on his return to Dortmund when he blazed a shot over late, then Vitinha flashed a shot wide of the left post.

"We tried to keep the ball from them but it's so difficult because they have a lot of quality," PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

"They are a great team on the ball and off the ball. Today in that environment they were great in both aspects of the game. I think we had maybe a lack of intensity in the first half, but in the second half we created clear, clear chances, but we couldn't score."

Dortmund coach Edin Terzic only made his first substitution in the 83rd minute, when he sent on veteran Marco Reus for the exhausted Karim Adeyemi.

Australian Associated Press