Borussia Dortmund have one foot inside this season’s Champions League final following their 1-0 first-leg win against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The solitary goal of the match at Signal Iduna Park was scored by German attacker Niclas Fullkrug, but it was Jadon Sancho, a Manchester United loanee, who stole the show with an absolute masterclass.
Sancho played in his first-ever Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night, and he performed admirably.
Unquestionably Dortmund’s best player, he had competition from Nuno Mendes, Bradley Barcola, and Fabian Ruiz on PSG’s left flank while primarily operating from his preferred right side.
With his exquisite talents and timely bursts of pace, Sancho was a continuous pain in the ass for the PSG players, turning them inside out whenever necessary.
In just the opening 30 minutes of proceedings at Dortmund’s grounds, Sancho completed an impressive seven take-ons.
To put this achievement into context, he never completed more than seven take-ons in a single game he played for United in the 58 appearances he made for the Red Devils.
He completed more take-ons vs. Luis Enrique’s men than any Dortmund star has managed in a single Champions League match across the past eight seasons. He’s also the only player across the past eight seasons to complete 10+ take-ons in a Champions League semi-final clash.
The last time a player completed more than 11 take-ons in a single Champions League game was Lionel Messi against United in 2008 with 16.
During the time he was on the pitch, Sancho registered 99 touches of the ball. He also successfully delivered 51 of the 58 passes he attempted, managing a pass completion rate of 88%. Three of his passes were key passes.
The England international created one big chance and blocked one shot.
He embarked on 17 dribbles and completed 13 of them. Sancho was also imperious defensively. He came out on top in 13 of the 19 ground duels he delved into.
Sancho put in one tackle.
After returning to the team that helped him establish his reputation in the middle of the season, the winger is currently in the last month of his loan at Dortmund.
The player’s performance serves as a welcome reminder to United of what he is capable of when given the proper circumstances and opportunity to establish his worth.
