Jadon Sancho sent a timely message back to Erik ten Hag and Manchester United that he’s still got it by firing Borussia Dortmund into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Sancho’s return to Germany on loan in mid-January has proven to be something of a slow burn, with his only goal this time round for Dortmund prior to the one here coming in the weekend win away at Werder Bremen.
But there was nothing slow about this one as the United exile ignited Dortmund into life and fired them ahead after just three minutes.
A breakdown on the edge of the PSV area allowed Julian Brandt to poke into the path of Sancho who, with one motion, shifted the ball onto his right foot before shooting through two pairs of legs and into the bottom corner, via the help of the post.
In front of the rowdy Yellow Wall he raced towards them, mobbed by team-mates for what was his first Champions League goal in 840 days. When he let out a roar of relief in celebration, it’s safe to say it’s been a long time coming.
Jadon Sancho sent a timely message back to Erik ten Hag as he netted Borussia Dortmund’s opener in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against PSV Eindhoven
He found a yard on the edge of the box and buried his strike into the bottom left hand corner
‘It was his first goal, not his last – we are quite sure of that,’ boss Edin Terzic predicted in the moments leading up to kick-off.
He knew better than most that Sancho, here making his first appearance in the Champions League for Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park since December 2020 versus Lazio, had been waiting for lift off in his second spell – now he has it.
‘He showed that he is full of joy, wants to play and wants to help us. It’s a matter of time before he shines again.’
If there was to be gloss taken off this night of nights for Sancho it was that he left in the 75th minute hobbling around the pitch after suffering a hamstring injury. How long that sidelines him only time will tell.
Dortmund were rampant in the early stages, making PSV look like rabbits in headlights as the hosts swarmed attack after attack, with Sancho and Donyell Malan off the right at the heart of it.
Malen was screaming at referee Daniele Orsato for a penalty 10 minutes after Sancho’s opener when Sergino Dest looked to clip Malen. Neither Orsato or VAR were moved by it.
PSV soon adjusted their eyes to those headlights and began to stretch themselves, only to leave Luuk de Jong starved of decent service in attack.
His long distance effort put Dortmund on the front foot immediately in the crucial second leg
The winger layer hobbled off with injury in the 75th minute at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday
Peter Bosz sent on Hirving Lozano on at the break and he almost made an immediate impact when his piledriver from outside the area clipped the outside of the post. A rarity but the Yellow Wall paused for a sharp intake of breath.
Niclas Fullkrug thought he had put the tie to bed when he slotted in shortly after Sancho’s departure in place of Marco Reus.
VAR took a look and judged the German striker to have been marginally offside.
It started with joy and ultimately ended in despair for him, but this was to be Sancho’s night and it won’t have been lost on those back in Manchester.
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