Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Freiburg: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Sancho Strikes Again for BVB

Borussia Dortmund earned a tight 1-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday in the Bundesliga at the Signal Iduna Park​, with Jadon Sancho grabbing his 14th league goal of the season.

The hosts started brightly, dominating possession early on, and it took them just 15 minutes to move into the lead – Sancho on hand to finish off an excellent attacking move. Vincenzo Grifo had a wonderful opportunity to equalise for Freiburg midway through the first half, but he fired over when put through on goal.

The away side continued to grow into the contest as the first half progressed, but Dortmund twice came close through Julian Brandt and Thorgan Hazard. Early in the second half, BVB's Sancho worked a yard of space after some lovely link-up play with Hazard before curling a shot just wide. 

Brandt was the next player to fire inches wide, but Dortmund were almost pegged back as Lukasz Piszczek got back onto his own goal line to clear what would have been a certain goal. 

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Key Talking Point

With a number of important matches coming up, Lucien Favre has hinted hinted that he may opt to rotate his team this weekend. Erling Haaland, who had been suffering with a stomach bug during the week, began the game on the bench, but the likes of Sancho, Raphaël Guerreiro, Axel Witsel and Achraf Hakimi all began the game. 

It was a statement of intent. The hosts made a bright start to the game and immediately settled into their rhythm. 

While Hazard was the man tasked with leading the line, the attacking players were never in fixed positions, instead interchanging and finding pockets of space. Despite this, they struggled to really get in behind often and, as a result, they failed to create many clear cut chances. In fact, Dortmund managed just one shot on target in the first half. 

BVB pushed for a second to give themselves breathing room, but this did leave them exposed at the back and they were nearly caught out on a number of occasions. 

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Bürki (6); Piszczek (6), Hummels (5), Zagadou (6), Hakimi (6); Witsel (6), Can (7); Guerreiro (6), Brandt (7), Sancho (8*); Hazard (6).

Substitues: Akanji (6), Haaland (6), Reyna (6).

Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho really is a supreme talent, isn't he?

The 19-year-old scored the only goal of the game, his 14th league goal of the season. With Erling Haaland starting on the bench, Sancho stepped up and not only did he continue to pose a real threat in front of goal throughout the game, he also showed the intelligence and awareness to drop deeper and create opportunities for his teammates. 

He was constantly looking to pick up pockets of space to work in, making him a constant threat as defenders were unsure how to deal with him. The former Manchester City man's ability to know where each player is on the pitch is sensational, producing the deftest of flicks to link up with his fellow forwards.

Another goal for Sancho and another standout performance. 

FREIBURG

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Schwolow (5); Schmid (5), Lienhart (5), Gulde (6), Heintz (5); Günter (5), Haberer (6), Höfler (5), Sallai (6); Grifo (5), Petersen (6).

Substitutes: Keitel (5), Holer (5), Schlotterbeck (N/A).

Looking Ahead

Dortmund next travel to take on Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, before taking on Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their last 16 Champions League tussle the following Wednesday.

Freiburg, meanwhile, next host Union Berlin next Saturday.