A sequence that could be expensive. Trapped on a long ball from Nico Schlotterbeck to Niclas Füllkrug who rushed to score the only goal of the match, Paris Saint-Germain potentially lost very big in the 36th minute of this Champions League semi-final first leg against Borussia Dortmund (0 -1), Wednesday May 1st.
In addition to falling one unit behind, the capital club had the misfortune to count on collateral damage: Lucas Hernandez, injured in the left knee during the action.n trying to intervene to counter the German attacker. Lying for long moments on the lawn of Signal Iduna Park, the international defender got up and tried to resume his position as left axis, but he finally faced the facts by giving up his place after attempting a sprint.
“I have no news, it doesn’t look very positive but we will wait for the doctors to analyze it,” evacuated Luis Enrique at the microphone of Canal+ at the end of the meeting, without saying more during the press conference which followed. A bad omen as the slow motion and gestures of the former Bayern player, touching his joint and testing its tension with the mask on his face, raise fears of a new rupture of the cruciate ligament for him. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the world champion had already experienced a similar mishap with his right knee against Australia.
While waiting to know the severity of his injury, his presence next Tuesday in the return match against BVB at the Parc des Princes seems, at first glance, compromised. This could force Luis Enrique to line up Lucas Beraldo. If he delivered a fairly neutral performance coming off the bench to replace the Frenchman this Wednesday, the 20-year-old player was not reassured during the quarter-final first leg against FC Barcelona (2-3). Robert Lewandowski had played too often by serving as a support point for the Catalans, which had cost the Brazilian his place at Montjuic.
One more uncertainty on the table for the Parisian rearguard, who suffered yet another avoidable achievement this Wednesday. “We conceded a goal that we shouldn’t concede, we said all week to pay attention to Borussia’s deep passes. These are the details that make the difference“, replayed Marquinhos at the final whistle, ensuring “do better and go to the final”. It was precisely the captain of the Rouge et Bleu who covered Füllkrug on goal. At the same time, Nuno Mendes – returning from injury – often appeared overwhelmed in the face of the yellow and black attacks led by Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer on his side.
But while Paris can still hope to qualify, the one who could ultimately have the most difficulty managing this situation is perhaps Didier Deschamps. The coach must announce his list for the Euro in Germany in two weeks (June 14-July 14) and a withdrawal of the eldest Hernandez for the European Championship would cause many reflections. Seen as an alternative to his brother Théo at left-back, Lucas would likely be replaced by Ferland Mendy, even if the latter is not favored by the Blues boss.
But the versatility of the Parisian, capable of playing in the center, would also be detrimental while no alternative fully convinces in the selection. William Saliba has not yet produced the expected international performances, Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté are not club starters and the brittleness of the right flank could lead to yet another repositioning of Benjamin Pavard. In the short and medium term, the state of Lucas Hernandez will therefore be closely scrutinized.
