Barney Ronay on Jadon Sancho
David Hytner's player ratings
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So that’s your lot. A huge second-half performance by Tottenham Hotspur. The leaders of the Bundesliga were swept aside, and now Spurs have one foot in the quarters. Just one solid night’s work at the Westfalenstadion in three weeks’ time should do it. Our man Daniel Taylor was at Wembley, and here’s his report. Thanks for reading! Nighty night!
And here’s the report of Ajax 1-2 Real Madrid …
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And here’s Mauricio Pochettino, who really earned his corn tonight at half-time. “It was a fantastic second half. It was a very difficult game from the beginning, and difficult to find our best positions in both directions. We struggled to play the way we wanted to play. But afterwards we played with more confidence. In the second half, we played a very good game. Against a very good side like Dortmund, in the Champions League, it is still difficult and there is still a lot of work to do. 3-0 is a very good result but we need to think how we can finish the job. We have an unbelievable squad, the only problem we have is I can only pick 11, not 22.”
Jadon Sancho comes out to speak. “Aw, I don’t have any words for the second half. We tried our best but tonight Tottenham was the better team. First half we played really well, but in the second we dropped a bit and lost focus. Next leg we have to keep focus for the whole game. Jan Vertonghen is a good player, but hopefully next time we can handle it a bit better. But I’m happy to be home and play in front of my friends and family, I’m happy to be here. We’re still in it, still focused, and will go into the next leg thinking we can score enough goals.” The 18-year-old Dortmund winger an impressive interviewee, despite his obvious disappointment.
Here’s the man of the moment - the man of the match - Jan Vertonghen. “We were not creating too many chances, they had the better of the game in the first half. But in the second they dropped off a bit, and our early goal helped us. They were happy with 1-0 so we could continue attacking. It was just one of those nights. A great cross by Serge for the goal, who saw me running.”
His pal Heung-Min Son adds: “Jan is technically unbelievable, he could play any position. I am happy for him with his one goal and one assist. The cross for my goal was unbelievable, unreal, I just had to touch the ball. I feel sorry because when I scored I didn’t run to him! I am honoured to play with him and he can play striker for me!”
It’s also worth noting that Spurs have only reached the quarter finals of the European Cup or Champions League on two occasions before. The glory, glory team of Blanchflower, White and Mackay made it to the semis in 1962, while a Crouchigol took Harry Redknapp’s team past Milan and into the quarters in 2011. Nobody at Spurs will be counting their chickens, but a third appearance at the business end of this tournament is well within their reach now.
Easy to forget now that Spurs were second best in the first half, albeit not by any great distance. However they were wonderful in the second period and simply blew Dortmund away! Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen both excelled, but the plaudits will go to stand-in wing-back Jan Vertonghen, whose front-foot display as an ersatz winger in the second period was quite something to behold. And he didn’t neglect his defensive duties either, allowing Dortmund not a sniff after the restart. Mauricio Pochettino walks off smiling quietly, another tactical plan having come together.
FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Borussia Dortmund
How about that Jan Vertonghen, huh.
90 min +1: Victor Wanyama comes on for Moussa Sissoko. It’s a party atmosphere at Wembley.
90 min: Just two minutes of stoppage time to come. Guerreiro hits a first-time curler towards the top left from 25 yards. If it had been on target, it was a goal because Lloris wasn’t getting there. But Dortmund aren’t getting an away goal that would give them a desperately needed boost ahead of the second leg. Inches wide.
89 min: Son Heung-Min - who would be man of the match on any other day, but you’re not getting that award off Jan Vertonghen - makes way for Erik Lamela.
87 min: Raphael Guerreiro comes on for Jadon Sancho. The Bundesliga leaders don’t know what’s hit them. Tottenham have been quite outstanding since the restart!
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Borussia Dortmund (Llorente 86)
What a second-half showing this is from Spurs! Eriksen works his way down the left and earns a corner. He takes the set piece himself, and loops it into the six-yard box, where Llorente nips in ahead of Diallo and heads neatly towards the bottom right and in! Wembley’s roof now spinning over the Severn Bridge.
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84 min: Lucas Moura makes way for Fernando Llorente. The Wembley roof is now frisbeeing halfway down the M4.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Borussia Dortmund (Vertonghen 83)
Vertonghen has been the star of the show tonight, and now he’s set the seal on it! Aurier, deep on the right, loops a cross into the centre where Vertonghen has made a striker’s run. It’s a perfect cross, dropping right in front of Vertonghen, and he powers a first-time sidefoot past Burki. Who needs Harry Kane when you’ve got Jan Vertonghen?
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82 min: Son is sent scampering into space down the left by Winks, quarterbacking from deep, but can’t quite summon the energy to power towards the Dortmund area. He’s forced to check back and the move breaks down.
80 min: Sancho was a jet-heeled sensation in the first half, but he’s not been so proactive in the second. He’s got a chance to race at the Spurs back line, but turns tail this time and though his skill earns a free kick off Sissoko, it’s in the middle of the park and not much use to Dortmund at all.
78 min: And here’s Wayne Ziants: “I don’t know about the game, but I’m thrilled by the fact that every Dortmund player in the starting XI has between five and seven letters in his name. The side picks itself.” Oh Schmelzer! How could you!
77 min: Dortmund make the first change of the evening, replacing Dan-Axel Zagadou with Marcel Schmelzer.
76 min: Eriksen’s flat delivery goes through a thicket of players and finds its way to Moura, bombing in from the left. Moura lashes towards the top right; the ball is blocked by Delaney’s back, and out for a corner. There’s a quick VAR check for a handball shout against Delaney, but nothing’s doing. And then from the second corner, Moura blazes over the bar from distance, and that’s the end of all that.
75 min: Vertonghen digs out a deep cross from a tight spot on the left. Son recycles on the other flank, and tees up Eriksen, whose low shot from the edge of the box is deflected out for a corner on the right. Eriksen to take himself.
73 min: Dortmund take a turn to probe this way and that. Dahoud tries to flick Pulisic clear down the inside-left channel, but the ball breaks to Lloris who can clear and set Spurs away on the break. Moura romps down the left, with Son free on the right. Hakimi is the only Dortmund player back! But the defender does exceptionally well to deny Moura the chance to flick a pass inside for Son, and eventually the ball is sent back to Burki, who tidies up.
71 min: Spurs ping it around the midfield with such style that the crowd break into spontaneous applause at their crisp triangulations. Of course, almost immediately, Alderweireld gives up possession with a clunker of a pass. Timing is everything in comedy.
69 min: A lot of space for Dahoud, 25 yards from goal, teed up by Delaney. But his shot, an attempted thread into the bottom right, has no oomph whatsoever. Lloris snaffles without drama.
67 min: Dortmund continue to toil. Their fans continue to make a wonderful noise. Their drummers have been going metronomically all night. Jaki Liebezeit would be proud.
65 min: Aurier powers his way down the right. He’s got Moura in the middle, but his low cross is hooked away by Toprak. That’s great defending. Spurs are causing Dortmund all manner of bother here.
63 min: Vertonghen’s wing wizardry continues. Now he whips low into the Dortmund box from the left, Son very nearly bundling home from close range. But three yellow shirts bundle Son and the ball out for a corner instead. And the set piece comes to nothing. Spurs - and in particular Vertonghen and Son - have been superb since the restart.
62 min: Pulisic dribbles into the Spurs box from the left. For a second it looks like it’s going to open up for him, but Sanchez pressurises him from behind and the ball clanks between his legs. Spurs clear. That’s the first time Dortmund have looked dangerous since the restart.
61 min: Alderweireld rakes a long pass down the left to release Eriksen in acres. Dortmund were fast asleep! Eriksen tears into the box, and merely has to find Son in the middle for a tap-in. But his cross is headed out just in time by Zagadou. The resulting corner nearly leads to a goal as well, Eriksen’s delivery from the left nearly flicked into the top left by Alderweireld. But Burki gathers.
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59 min: That wonderful assist has got Vertonghen’s juices flowing. He channels his inner Tom Finney, dribbling his way down the left, cutting inside, and shaping for a shot. He should probably slip in Son, but gets caught up in the mood and sends a shot over instead.
58 min: However the Dortmund fans are still giving it all they’ve got. They’re contributing to a fine atmosphere at Wembley.
57 min: The Spurs press is so much more intense in this second half. Dortmund continue to labour as a result.
55 min: It takes a while to find a ball so the free kick can be taken. It’s not worth the wait, Eriksen blootering witlessly, uncharacteristically, into the Dortmund wall.
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53 min: Dortmund are understandably a bit flat since that early second-half blow. They’re struggling to string more than a couple of passes together. Spurs want to make hay while the sun shines. Vertonghen tears down the left and slips a pass inside for Son, who Cruyff turns Delaney and is clipped on his heel for the trouble. A booking for Delaney, and a free kick in an extremely dangerous position to the left of the D.
51 min: Eriksen tries to find Moura with a raking pass down the middle. Just a little too much juice on the ball, allowing Burki to gather.
49 min: Wembley has erupted, the roof currently spinning over Hanger Lane roundabout. A superb start to the second half, and it’s going to be interesting to see how Dortmund - who were on balance, just about, the better team in the first half - respond to that.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Borussia Dortmund (Son 47)
Just over a minute into the second half, and Spurs lead! Alderweireld launches long down the left. Moura flicks a header into the box, but Burki gathers. No matter, because Spurs are back at Dortmund again, Vertonghen tight on the left touchline. The big defender curls a perfect cross into the centre, inches over Zagadou’s head. It drops to Son, who sidefoots powerfully into the top left! A fine run and finish by Son, but what a cross from Vertonghen!
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We’re back! Spurs get the second half underway. There have been no half-time changes.
Half-time entertainment. For those of you who can’t be bothered to click, the answer is no.
HALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Borussia Dortmund
And that’s that for the first 45. Interesting rather than exciting, though both teams will wonder how they haven’t scored. Lucas Moura and Dan-Axel Zagadou have both gone very close, while Jadon Sancho has been a handful.
45 min: ... Dortmund nearly score! They take it short, Sancho chips to the far post, Zagadou rises highest and should plant a header home from close range. But the ball takes a slight deflection off Foyth, and Lloris is able to get over and palm away with a strong hand. Great save! Another corner follows, but that comes to nought.
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44 min: Goetze barges his way through a couple of challenges down the right and earns a corner. From which ...
42 min: Hakimi goes on a power wander down the right. He looks for Goetze in the middle, but the ball takes a huge deflection off Vertonghen and loops into the arms of Lloris.
40 min: Sancho was livid at the lack of any decision from the referee there. You can’t blame him. But it was a wonderful, exhilarating run by the English youngster, who has been the star turn in this first half.
38 min: Sancho tears down the inside-right channel, gliding into the centre. Sissoko, having been burned for speed, cynically clips Sancho’s foot. It’s got to be a free kick to the right of the D, and a booking for Sissoko, but the referee waves play on. That’s a very poor decision. Sissoko and Spurs have got away with one there.
37 min: An odd cameo from Burki, who has the ball at his feet, lets it clank between his legs, spins through 360 degrees in confusion, then rediscovers his poise well enough to scoop a pass over Moura towards Toprak in the left-back position. From the ridiculous to the sublime.
36 min: Eriksen finds Son free down the left. He enters the box and hits a hard cross-cum-shot towards Moura in the middle. Burki, at the near post, kicks away from danger.
35 min: Delaney has a crack from a position to the left of the D. It’s heading into the bottom left. Lloris gets down well, though can only parry straight back into the box. Sanchez can’t quite clear; Sancho can’t quite shoot. Spurs eventually clear their lines.
34 min: This is a little better from Spurs, as Moura nearly fashions space for a shot 25 yards out. Then Vertonghen whips a cross in from the left; Zagadou clears. Finally Aurier and Foyth combine crisply on the right touchline; Foyth cuts one back for Eriksen, who blazes a wild first-time effort over the bar from the edge of the box.
32 min: Son tries to trick Zagadou down the right with an elaborate dummy. It nearly comes off but he runs out of pitch. Still nothing quite working for the hosts.
30 min: But then they’re not getting any help from the referee either. Hakimi stands on Vertonghen’s toe, near the left-hand corner flag, but Spurs aren’t awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Instead Dortmund nearly open them up from the resulting goal kick, Goetze close to setting Sancho off on another of his searing scampers on the right. Not quite.
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29 min: Alderweireld creams a long pass down the inside-left, hoping to release Son. But Toprak calmly flicks a header back to Burki and that’s that dealt with. Spurs are not clicking in the final third right now.
27 min: A much-needed period of sterile domination for Spurs. They’re going nowhere, but they’ve pushed Dortmund back after a period in which the visitors were beginning to ask some awkward questions.
25 min: Not much happening for Spurs right now. Moura drops deep in the hope of making something happen, but his play is nervous and fidgety and he gives up possession with some loose control and a poor ball forward.
23 min: Sancho runs at Spurs down the inside-right again, and in tandem with Goetze causes all sorts of bother in the box. Fortunately for Spurs, they’re able to crowd the pair out in numbers, and an eventual shot squirts softly through the thicket and into the arms of Lloris. Dortmund are beginning to look extremely dangerous.
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21 min: Sancho is sent scampering clear down the right wing, thanks to a first-time pass from Dahoud. For a second it looks as though he’ll make it into the box for a shot, turning Sanchez this way and that. But he decides to cross, and his low ball, intended for Goetze, is cut out well by Foyth.
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20 min: Vertonghen clears Pulisic’s free kick with ease, but Witsel immediately comes back at Spurs and sends a low fizzer towards the bottom left. Lloris is behind it all the way and gathers confidently.
19 min: Sissoko slides in clumsily on Hakimi as the right-back races down the wing. This is a free kick just to the right of the Spurs box, which is now loaded with Dortmund players.
18 min: The visitors enjoy another period of sterile domination. This match has had a nice back-and-forth swing so far, with both teams enjoying periods of possession. Nice.
16 min: Dortmund have had a sniff now, and it’s suddenly enlivened them. Goetze slips a pass down the inside-right channel that should release Sancho, but the young striker takes a heavy touch that allows Vertonghen to come across and clear. He should have made it to the area for a shot on goal.
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15 min: Foyth over-elaborates on the left-hand edge of his own box. Goetze strips him of possession and sets up Pulisic for a dribble into the area. He’s faced with a tight angle, and has Sancho in the middle, waiting to tap home. But he tries to beat Lloris, who isn’t getting beaten at his near post and kicks away.
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14 min: Passes aren’t sticking right now. Sanchez plays a poor one forward, Sancho intercepts, looks for Goetze, falls over.
12 min: Good work by Aurier, who chases an Eriksen pass down the right and earns Spurs the first corner of the match. Eriksen takes. Foyth fresh-air kicks, and Dortmund can break upfield. Pulisic turns on the jets down the left and Aurier pulls him back by the elastic of his trousers. That’s another first for Aurier: the first yellow of the game.
10 min: And it’s giving Dortmund something to think about. Winks bursts into space in the middle of the park, and should release Son down the inside-right channel, but overhits the pass. Not by much; small margins.
9 min: After a slow-ish start, Spurs are beginning to get more into the game. They enjoy an extended period of possession for the first time this evening.
7 min: Spurs nearly take the lead in spectacular style! Delaney’s header upfield isn’t all that. Sanchez returns it, and the ball drops towards Moura, just inside the box on the left. Moura takes the ball down with one touch, then creams a diagonal volley inches wide of the top right! So closde. Burki wasn’t getting to that.
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6 min: Delaney slips a clever ball down the inside-left channel, into acres, but Pulisic was a bit slow to read it. Foyth plays it back to Lloris, who gives Spurs fans a shudder, nearly getting closed down by Sancho. But he gets it away.
4 min: Dortmund are enjoying the lion’s share of possession in these early exchanges, but nearly all of it is in their half. Goetze and Pulisic try to get positive down the left, but Foyth is in charge of this situation and clears.
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2 min: Dortmund spend some more time knocking the ball around at the back. Then Delaney scoops a pass forward down the left for Sancho, who briefly threatens to drop a shoulder and scoot past Foyth, but Spurs hold their shape well and eventually the ball’s won back. Early signs that Dortmund aren’t planning to sit back all evening.
And we’re off! The visitors get the party started, as Wembley erupts again in noise. Roars pinging off the walls. Dortmund stroke it around the back awhile, then gift the ball to Winks, who combines with Vertonghen to send the ball out for a throw. Everyone just happy to get their first touch.
A minute’s silence before kick-off. It’s in tribute to England’s 1966 World Cup goalkeeping hero Gordon Banks, who passed away yesterday, and the tragic Emiliano Sala. It’s perfectly observed, then it segues into warm applause. A touching moment. RIP.
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The teams are out! A wonderful European atmosphere at Wembley, not least because the Dortmund fans have been in situ for ages and have been giving it plenty. Tottenham Hotspur sport their world-famous lilywhite shirts, while Dortmund are in their equally storied yellow and black. It’s an aesthetic treat, my old association-football-loving pals. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
A relaxed Mauricio Pochettino speaks to BT Sport! “I am always positive. Of course we have the utmost of respect for our opponent, Borussia Dortmund is a fantastic team and will be very competitive. But I believe in my players. It will be different, we cannot compare to last season, the momentum, the circumstance, the situation is different. We believe we need to be at our best if we want to win. The competitive level is so high, with the Premier League it is the best competition, and we need to be 100 percent focused. We have tried to provide the team with fresh legs. I trust and believe in all the players and hope I am right in my selection. People can talk after, but we always try to be right and prepare so we can win today.”
A reminder that VAR is in use for the first time in the Champions League this week. All the officials have been issued with a nicely typeset leaflet explaining how the VAR team will “constantly check for clear and obvious errors related to the following four match-changing situations: goals, incidents in the penalty area, red cards, and mistaken identity.” Two matches in, and there’s been no major controversy that would lead you to question whether the whole thing is worth the effort yet. But give it time. Older readers may recall Andy Townsend’s Tactics Truck, from 2001 ITV light-entertainment vehicle The Premiership. The set-up’s not a million miles away from that. Tragedy + time = comedy.
Pennant watch: Tottenham’s crest is a stone-cold design classic, but the same can’t be said of this pennant. Some major leading issues with the text squeezed in at the top, it’s all over the place. Note that while the commemorative flag hangs from a solid silver hook, keeper and captain Hugo Lloris’s shirt is on something of a shoogly peg. A cheap and cheerful metaphor for his recent form.
Both sides make four changes from their weekend XIs. Of the team named for the 3-1 win over Leicester City, Tottenham drop Kieran Tripper, Danny Rose, Oliver Skipp and Fernando Llorente to the bench. Their places are taken by Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld, Juan Foyth and Lucas Moura. Jan Vertonghen will play left wing-back as Spurs start with a back three.
Dortmund drop Raphael Guerreiro, Maximilian Philipp, Lucasz Piszczek and Julian Weigl from the team that capitulated against Hoffenheim. Thomas Delaney, Omer Toprak, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Chelsea-bound Christian Pulisic take their places.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Aurier, Sanchez, Foyth, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Sissoko, Winks, Eriksen, Son, Lucas Moura.
Subs: Gazzaniga, Trippier, Rose, Lamela, Wanyama, Llorente, Skipp.
Borussia Dortmund: Burki, Hakimi, Zagadou, Toprak, Diallo, Witsel, Delaney, Sancho, Dahoud, Pulisic, Gotze.
Subs: Hitz, Guerreiro, Balerdi, Philipp, Wolf, Schmelzer, Bruun Larsen.
Referee: Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto (Spain).
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Hello, and welcome to Jazz Club
According to their sporting director Michael Zorc, Borussia Dortmund have eschewed former coach Jurgen Klopp’s “heavy metal football” in favour of a “modern jazz approach” built around bandleader Lucien Favre’s inventive new 4-2-3-1 arrangement. Nice! On the wings, Jadon Sancho and Jacob Bruun Larsen. Playing full back, Achraf Hakimi. Axel Witsel and Mario Gotze in midfield. Theydon Bois on guitar. Clam on bass.
The North Rhine-Westphalia Big Band are certainly locked into a groove this season. They’re leading the Bundesliga, top scorers with 54 goals, currently on course for their first title since 2012. They only conceded two goals en route to winning Group A, keeping five clean sheets in six games. There’s a good vibe about the place. Really nice.
But they have lost a little rhythm of late. A couple of weekends ago, a 3-3 draw at home to Werder Bremen in the cup led to defeat on penalties. Then last weekend they let a three-goal lead slip in the last 15 minutes at home to Hoffenheim in the league, allowing Bayern Munich to close the gap at the top to five points. They’re not exactly nodding out on stage, but it’s a worry nonetheless.
Tottenham’s season meanwhile has been driven along by some extremely experimental polyrhythms. They were forced to stage a great escape to get out of the groups after a dismal start; they were recently knocked out of both domestic cups in a grisly four-day stretch; and they’re in the thick of the race for the Premier League, with Harry Kane and Dele Alli soon to return rested and fresh. Great!
So this is a close one to call. Form’s no guide. Neither is the recent head-to-head, with Dortmund knocking Spurs out of the Europa League 5-1 on aggregate in 2016, and Spurs winning home and away in the Champions League groups last season. This tie is perfectly pitched. It’s on!
The session begins at: 8pm GMT.
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