Friday, March 29, 2024

5 things to take from Dortmund v PSG as Erling Haaland dominates headlines

Dortmund v PSG took place last night and it very much lived up to the expectations we all had for it! While hardly a goal fest, it did provide an entertaining spectacle as Dortmund ran out 2-1 winners – thanks to two goals from a certain Norwegian teenager.

There were plenty of things to take note of during the game, and I’ve selected five things that I took away from the match last night…

Erling Haaland scores ANOTHER two goals

Erling Haaland, as I mention every time I write his name now, has become one of my favourite people on the planet. It seems as though I write something about him every bloody day, but it’s totally worth it.

Last night, he scored another two goals, putting him level with Robert Lewandowski on ten goals atop the UEFA Champions League goal-scoring charts. The two finishes couldn’t have been much different either, highlighting his ability to score any type of goal.

His first goal came as he was alert to a loose ball in the box and bundled a ball over the line from a few yards out – the perfect poachers goal. The second goal came saw the 19-year-old lash a 20+ yard strike into the top corner – pure visual and audible filth.

Gio Reyna makes impressive UCL debut

Gio Reyna came on off the bench to replace Thorgan Hazard halfway through the second period and as far as I was concerned, he seriously impressed. For such a young lad making his Champions League debut, he barely missed a beat and didn’t for a second look out of place.

To add to the joy of making his debut in the worlds premier club competition, Reyna got himself an assist as he was the man who played a great ball into the path of Erling Haaland before he ripped off an absolute rocket.

READ MORE: SCOUT DESPATCHED – Gio Reyna – the next Dortmund star

All-in-all, a very solid performance from the 17-year-old and hopefully there’s much more to come.

Dortmund kept the world’s most expensive strike-force (mostly) quiet

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are the worlds most expensive strike partnership, and for good reason too. Between them, they have a combined transfer value of over £350m from their respective moves to PSG.

Despite their defensive issues as of late, Dortmund did well to keep the pair quiet… for the most part. The two did combine for a goal in the second half to level up the tie, but when you’re facing talent like that you expect at least one goal to go in.

With all of their recent issues at the back, I was genuinely expecting Neymar and Mbappe to have an absolute field day in Dortmund – cutting through at will. That wasn’t to be the case! Dortmund, for the most part, managed to stay compact out of possession and kept PSG at bay for large parts of the game.

PSG’s away goal could be crucial

That goal I mentioned above could be absolutely crucial to the outcome of this tie! PSG welcome Dortmund to Paris in three weeks time knowing they need just a 1-0 win to progress to the next round.

However, that will rely on them stopping Dortmund from scoring which, as they found out last night, is not an easy thing to do at all. But the fact they got that goal means that despite the fact they lost the first leg, they’re still in a very strong position going into the second game.

Sancho puts in another top class performance

Jadon Sancho, as expected, put in another world class performance last night. He was a constant thorn in the side of the PSG defence and was pivotal to just about every move the German giants made.

With his dazzling feet and electric pace, he threatened and threatened to score in the first half but just couldn’t find the back of the net. He’s very much at home at Borussia Dortmund and doesn’t look a tad out of place on the same field as some of the worlds best footballer – in fact he stood out.

For the majority of the game, I’d have him as the best player on the pitch. Eventually, his performance would be overshadowed by that of Erling Haaland, but that’s no insult!

Another fine performance from another lad that we must not forget is still only 19-years-old – with all the clamour around how good Haaland is for his age, it’s worth remembering that Jadon Sancho is the same age and has been performing at this level for at least a year…

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