Jadon Sancho 'grateful' to Dortmund for 'believing in me' after reaching Champions League quarter-finals

Jadon Sancho hopes he has begun to repay the faith Borussia Dortmund showed in him after they reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

That was enough to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory for Edin Terzic's side, who also saw Marco Reus find the back of the net.

"It was like a relief," Sancho told TNT Sports as he reflected on his third minute strike. "I think all players just want to have a good start to the game.

"There’s no better feeling than that. I’m just grateful that I got the goal for the team."

The goal was an emotional one for the 23-year-old, as it was the first time he had netted at Signal Iduna Park since returning to Germany during the transfer window.

He has been short of first team football this season, following an acrimonious falling out with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

An Old Trafford departure was much expected in January, and he was subsequently rescued by Dortmund, who offered him a return to Germany on loan, two-and-a-half years after setting sail to England.

It was in his first spell with the club that he put his name on the map, scoring 50 goals across 137 appearances between 2017 and 2021.

That convinced United to splash out a reported £73m to sign him, but the forward struggled to recapture the form he had shown in the Bundesliga in the Premier League.

But he is playing with a smile on his face again after re-joining Dortmund, with a strike away to Werder Bremen at the weekend providing a real confidence boost.

And after opening the scoring against PSV, he wheeled away in celebration, thumping the club badge on his shirt.

"I’ve always got a special place for Borussia Dortmund," he continued. "This is where I kind of made my name.

"I’ve got to be grateful to them, but also to my team-mates, just for believing in me. I’m just happy that we got the win today.

"Coming into the game, we knew it was going to be tough, but I felt like coming into this game, we always had the advantage because we’re playing in front of our home fans.

"From the beginning of the game, I just knew from the dressing room team talk, we were on it. From the first whistle to the last, we just stuck at our game plan and I’m just happy that we got the win."

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