Jadon Sancho has best Champions League semi-final display since Messi as Man Utd flop’s Dortmund stats vs PSG revealed
JADON SANCHO was the talk of the Champions League on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old put on a stunning performance as Borussia Dortmund clinched a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
On a night to remember, he became the first Englishman on record to complete more than 11 take-ons in a single Champions League match.
The last person to achieve that feat in a semi-final was eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi in 2008, when Barcelona faced Manchester United.
Sancho also created three chances, completed 12 out of 17 dribbles and managed a pass accuracy of 88 per cent.
Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves even claimed that he “out-performed” Kylian Mbappe, who is widely regarded as the best player in the world.
And a post from the official Borussia Dortmund X account read: “You all owe him an apology, we were ALWAYS familiar with his game.”
Dortmund secured a 1-0 win over PSG thanks to Niclas Fullkrug’s 36th-minute strike.
The Bundesliga giants are now one game away from the Champions League final, which is set to take place at Wembley Stadium.
That means Sancho’s return to England could see him win arguably the most coveted trophy in European football – less than one year after being exiled by Man Utd.
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The winger publicly fell out with Erik ten Hag after being dropped against Arsenal in September.
He accused the manager of using him as a “scapegoat” after the match.
Sancho was subsequently axed from the squad, left out of the annual team photo and forced to train alone.
The England ace has since established himself as an important first team player for Borussia Dortmund.
Following Wednesday’s match, TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist claimed he looked “rejuvenated” following his disastrous spell with the Red Devils.
He said: “Sancho looks like a different player entirely. His body language is like the player Man Utd bought.
“You can tell a lot from body language and he wants to take people on and play. He certainly looks rejuvenated.
“It is confidence, he has his mojo back. He is in an environment where he is liked and he looks like a different footballer.”
Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand also praised him and went on to say: “Jadon was making players dance, he was a joke. We haven’t seen that since he was at Dortmund before.
“What I say today more than anything, that was cage football Sancho. This is the kid who grew up in cage football with that bit of swagger.
“He is in the groove now. He will come off the pitch on a high. But I want to know what happened at Man Utd, why didn’t it go well there. The plus point for Man Utd is a lot of teams will want him now.”
Speaking at full-time, Sancho told CBS Sports: “When we have our fans we are so motivated from the start. But this tie is not over, we still have to go to Paris and get the job done.
“I appreciate all the compliments but I take it game by game. Performances like today, I hope can carry on.
“I came here at 17, they gave me the opportunity to play professional football and I am delighted to be welcomed back and I am focused on the present right now.”
Sancho was interviewed by Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher after the match.
Carragher appeared very animated as he and fellow pundit Peter Schmeichel congratulated him on the result.