After the match against Leverkusen, Peter Stöger said that when choosing between genius and madness to describe the player, he was "more inclined towards genius in Sancho's case". He continued that he has an extraordinary talent in his squad, and that everybody knows it. The young Briton assisted two goals and also scored the all-important first goal for 1-0, his first in the Bundesliga. It was a fantastic performance, and Sancho's best game since he signed for BVB in summer 2017. Correspondingly, he was of course in high spirits after the match.

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"Just before my goal I had a fantastic opportunity to take the game to 1-0, but passed it up. I said to myself afterwards that I had to get one today", said Sancho, who was especially pleased that he had scored his first goal in front of the "Yellow Wall". "It's fantastic that I still managed to do it in front of the South Stand. I'm just so happy", continued Sancho. He got his first goal in his ninth Bundesliga appearance. He also managed to cause the opposition all sorts of bother down the left-hand side. By the end of the match, he had had assisted seven shots on goal (more than any other player), including those that had led to 3-0 and 4-0. Respect!

Sancho's performance demands respect

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At the age of 18 years and 27 days, the Bundesliga's youngest English goalscorer and also BVB's first English goalscorer played a decisive role in what was also a well-deserved victory over Bayer 04. "It was not easy returning from my injury. But I fought and was always pushing myself in training", explained Sancho, who had been intermittently unavailable from the middle of December to the middle of March due to two ligament injuries. "I am very proud that the manager placed his trust in me for such an important match, and that I was able to pay him back with a strong performance", said Sancho.

The youngster highlighted once again the significance of this game against Leverkusen, not only because it was against a direct rival, but also because it was urgent to make up for the poor showing in Gelsenkirchen. "We didn't only need to win today. We also needed to show the fans that we play for them and that we love this game", said Sancho. In his opinion, this was crucial for their success. "Every man gave 100 percent. We played really well", he asserted.

Jadon Sancho transferred to the Ruhr from Manchester City's youth academy accompanied by much fanfare marking him out as one to watch for the future. His adjustment to the Bundesliga took a while. When he popped up unmarked in front of Bayer keeper Ramazan Özca in the 12' minute only to miss a great chance to take the lead, his lack of experience could still be discerned. But what he then went on to conjure up on the pitch of the Signal Iduna Park demanded great respect, not just from the stands, but also from his teammates. Extra praise was forthcoming from Marco Reus, who was wearing the captain's armband on Saturday.

Reus gives praise, Stöger admonishes

"Jadon is a brilliant player technically", said Reus. "He took the chance that he got fantastically. The way he took down the ball and ran with it for the third goal was also amazing", continued Reus. According to the captain, he also made a strong contribution in defence, repeatedly helping Manuel Akanji against lightning quick players such as Bailey or Brandt. "It was certainly a very strong performance", determined Reus. Peter Stöger, who was also very pleased with Sancho's efforts, had criticism to offer too: "He needs to bring clarity to his game, then he will also have success here", said Stöger, but only "if he doesn't waste his energy, or overcomplicate his play with gimmickry." 

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Nevertheless, the 28-year-old, whose performance with two goals was equal to that of Sancho's, urged caution: "We cannot afford to rest on our laurels. We have difficult games coming up and a clear objective", namely, as it was before, Champions League qualification. To reach that target, Borussia Dortmund will need to conserve the form shown on Saturday for their last three games. This is also true for Jadon Sancho. If he and the team are able to do so, then he will have the opportunity to show off his talents again on the greatest of stages next season.

Dennis-Julian Gottschlich