Sancho helps destroy Man Utd's hopes of winning a "survival ticket" to the Champions League

After round 35 of the Premier League, Man Utd certainly cannot break into the top 4 of the tournament. The only way for the "Red Devils" to participate in the C1 Cup - Champions League next season is to compete for 5th place and wait for the European Football Federation (UEFA) to "give" English football another place to participate in the most prestigious arena. However, this fragile hope was officially erased this morning (May 2).

Under the rules of the 2024/25 Champions League - the first to use the new format - the two national championships with the highest accumulated points in Europe will have five places to participate (meaning each league will have one more place than usual). One of the two extra places will definitely belong to Serie A and the remaining place will be a competition between the Premier League and Bundesliga.

The Premier League's points total is lower than the Bundesliga's. The only hope for the English teams to surpass them is if Aston Villa win the Europa Conference League, and no German team wins any more European competitions this season.

This morning, Borussia Dortmund broke the above condition. Coach Edin Terzic's team beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final thanks to a goal by Niclas Fullkrug. Thus, even if they take the 5th position (currently held by Tottenham), Man Utd will not be able to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Ironically, one of the players who played a key role in destroying Man Utd's hopes was a member of the team itself. In the match between Borussia Dortmund and PSG, Jadon Sancho did not score, nor was he awarded the best player award by the organizers, but he was certainly the most prominent face on the field.

Jadon Sancho brought a completely different image compared to what he showed for Man Utd in the Premier League. The striker, who is playing for Dortmund on loan, made a total of 18 dribbles in the whole match, successfully completing 13 of them. Behind Sancho was Bradley Barcola, who only had... 3 successful dribbles.

Sancho didn't score or assist, but he did provide three key passes - no one else. According to Whoscored's automated data system, Jadon Sancho was the highest-rated player in the match. He was rated 8.7 - the only player on the pitch to top the eight mark.

Sancho and his teammates will play the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals against PSG in the middle of next week (2am on May 8). The remaining matches of the C1 Cup will be broadcast live on FPT Play.