Dortmund 2-0 PSV (agg: 3-1): Sancho and Reus clinch quarter-final spot

Dortmund got the better of PSV Eindhoven in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 decider as Jadon Sancho's early strike and Marco Reus' late finish sent the German side through despite a string of chances for the visitors.

Match in brief: Dortmund survive nervy finish

Jadon Sancho strikes low for his first goal in this season's competitionAFP via Getty Images

Having scored at the weekend to notch his first goal since his return to Dortmund, Jadon Sancho did not wait long to add to his tally. With less than three minutes gone, the on-loan Manchester United forward capped the hosts' early dominance by turning to curl a low shot beyond Walter Benítez.

That put Edin Terzić's side ahead in the tie, and they bristled with confidence for much of the rest of the first half, until PSV began to look more threatening as half-time approached. The Eredivisie leaders then made a change at the break, introducing Hirving Lozano for a critical 45 minutes in their European season.

The Mexico winger made a near-immediate impact, thudding a venomous shot from distance against a post as the Dutch side, who had scored in their previous six Champions League matches this season, looked emboldened in their attempts to exploit their opponents' deep back line.

For all their momentum, however, PSV were worrying Gregor Kobel's defenders more than the goalkeeper himself – until Johan Bakayoko took matters into his own hands, turning smartly to fashion space deep inside the penalty area and lash in an effort which Kobel beat around his near post with a fine reflex stop.

The chances kept coming for Peter Bosz's team, who went close again as Jordan Teze fired a half-volley wide, before Luuk de Jong lifted a close-range finish over the crossbar in added time.

Seconds later, substitute Marco Reus broke clear and slotted in the second, sealing Dortmund's place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020/21.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Jadon Sancho (Dortmund)

"He started the game very well, created one-on-one situations and scored with a great shot from outside the penalty area."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Matthias Rötters, Dortmund reporter

What a finale to this game. At first, BVB seemed to overrun the visitors. In the end, all the players in black and yellow had to tremble and shiver as they came under intense pressure. And when the tension was almost unbearable, club icon Marco Reus, of all people, was granted the final goal in this great match. Only football writes these stories!

Derek Brookman, PSV reporter

After that whirlwind start and an early goal from Dortmund, it seemed very unlikely – bordering on the impossible – that nobody would find the net again until deep into stoppage time. The result was slightly cruel on Bosz’s side, especially after a fine second-half showing, but like so many other teams before them, they learned that failing to take your chances at this level is often fatal.

Reaction 

Edin Terzić, Dortmund coach: "We really earned our quarter-final spot today with hard work. We played perhaps the best 30 minutes of the season at the beginning. After that, we should have scored more goals during that pressing phase. Unfortunately, in the second half, we stopped playing like that but defended with passion. My voice is gone now; it was very taxing for me today. I am very proud to have been a part of this evening."

Niklas Füllkrug, Borussia Dortmund striker: "We are very happy. It was a very intense game. We started very well, but that also cost us a lot of energy. Now we're in the quarter-finals and are one of the very, very big clubs in Europe. What the fans did today was incredible. It must have been a bit intimidating for the visitors."

Gregor Kobel, Dortmund goalkeeper: "It feels mega-nice. I'm really looking forward to the next round. We didn't let them breathe for the first 30 minutes. That's when we deserved to take the lead. We then also showed that we could keep a clean sheet at the back. In the second half, they naturally created chances, but we held on. I'm now looking forward to facing a very big opponent in the next round. The game today will definitely give us a boost."

Peter Bosz, PSV coach: "We started the game poorly. After 30 minutes, we then got a grip on the game, but unfortunately we didn't score any goals from the pressure. We dominated the game, but the final pass didn't work out. Maybe there was a bit of bad luck involved. It hurts a lot that we lost here today. Getting knocked out of the Champions League is always very painful."

PSV pushed admirably but could not find a way throughAFP via Getty Images

Luuk de Jong, PSV captain: “It was definitely possible to take more from this match, at the very least to get a draw. We dominated the second half without creating any huge chances until right at the end, when I should have scored.”

Joey Veerman, PSV midfielder: “For the first 30 minutes, we were a man short in the middle of the park, because we didn’t want to go one-on-one at the back. But then the coach told me to push forward onto their right-half, and after that we had much greater control of the game. The problem for us wasn’t in the first half but after the break. We played so well, we dominated, but we didn’t take our chances. I don’t know what to say. I’m really annoyed.

Delight for Dortmund after an occasionally nervy second-leg winAFP via Getty Images

Key stats

• Dortmund have lost only two of their last 20 Champions League matches in their own stadium (W11 D7).
• This was their first win in their last ten second-leg games in in UEFA competition two-legged ties (D4 L5).
• The German side have won nine of their last ten UEFA competition ties in which they have drawn the first leg away from home.
• PSV failed to score for only the second time in their last 13 European matches.
• They have lost 14 of their last 17 matches away from home against German clubs, drawing the other three.

Fantasy star performers

Jadon Sancho: 13 points
Mats Hummels: 10 points
Ian Maatsen: 9 points

Line-ups

Dortmund: Kobel; Emre Can, Süle, Hummels, Maatsen; Salih Özcan, Sabitzer; Brandt (Nmecha 58); Malen (Adeyemi 70), Sancho (Reus 75); Füllkrug

PSV: Benítez; Teze, Schouten, Boscagli, Dest; Til (Lozano 46), Mauro Júnior (Babadi 86), Veerman (Pepi 82); Bakayoko, De Jong, Tillman