Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus secured Borussia Dortmund’s place in the Champions League Quarter-Finals after a 2-0 win against PSV at the Westfalenstadion on the night with the Bundesliga side winning 3-1 on aggregate.
Returning to Dortmund on loan from Manchester United, it was Sancho’s best performance since returning in January. The 23-year-old opened the scoring in the third minute with a superb goal from just outside the area- Sancho’s beautiful low-driven shot found its way past Walter Benitez, who moments earlier denied Ian Maatsen.
As Borussia Dortmund continued to push for a second goal, Julian Brandt and Donyell Malen forced Benitez into a double save after 15 minutes, and it was the hosts that dominated much of the first half. But Daniele Orsato couldn’t have blown the half-time whistle at a better time for BVB as Peter Bosz’ PSV piled on the pressure in the closing stages.
Dortmund’s start to the second half was like the first. Malen took just three minutes to force Benitez into making a save down low as BVB looked to double their lead on the night, but it was PSV who came closest. Bosz had identified Niklas Süle as Dortmund’s weak link and brought on Hirving Lozano in place of Guus Til. The Mexican winger got the better of Süle and forced Gregor Kobel into an excellent save, with Jordan Teze doing similar on the opposite flank. PSV controlled much of the second-half, forcing Kobel into a multitude of saves, noticeably from Johan Bakayoko with a strong left hand.
Niclas Füllkrug thought he doubled Dortmund’s lead with 13 minutes remaining. The German forward met Marco Reus’ cross with perfection but after consulting with the VAR, Füllkrug was adjudged to be offside, marginally.
Despite PSV’s domination in the second-half, they were wasteful in front of goal and although Die Schwarzgelben were bright in spells, they were unconvincing at times. But goals from Sancho and Marco Reus secured Dortmund’s place in the Champions League Quarter-Final, the first time they’ve reached this stage of the competition since 2021.
Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings
Gregor Kobel (8) – Niklas Süle (6), Emre Can (6), Mats Hummels (7), Ian Maatsen (6) – Salih Özcan (5), Marcel Sabitzer (7) – Donyell Malen (7), Julian Brandt (6), Jadon Sancho (8) – Niclas Füllkrug (6).
Others: Felix Nmecha (5), Karim Adeyemi (N/A), Marco Reus (N/A)
