Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer deal Man United boss Erik ten Hag a huge blow in the race for European football… as Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League semi-finals

Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer dealt Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag a huge blow after Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League semi-finals with a stunning comeback win over Atletico Madrid. 

Dortmund came into the tie 2-1 down, and were perhaps lucky to not concede more at the Metropolitano Stadium last Wednesday, considering Atletico’s dominant performance. 

Yet, Edin Terzic‘s side produced an epic comeback to win 5-4 on aggregate at Signal Iduna Park last night, with ex-Manchester United star Marcel Sabitzer, firing the Bundesliga side into the semi-finals with 74th minute strike. 

Sancho, who returned to Dortmund on loan in January was on the field for all four goals and alongside Sabitzer, may have compounded further woes for the Red Devils boss in what has been a rollercoaster of a season. 

United are seventh in the table, having not won in their last four games and the chances of the Premier League getting a fifth side in next season’s Champions League took a dent with Dortmund’s victory. 

He and Marcel Sabitzer helped Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League 

It means that Germany sit ahead of England in UEFA’s coefficient ratings ahead of next season

Next season, the tournament will be expanded from 32 teams to 36 teams, meaning there are two additional spots up for grabs. 

UEFA will award those places to the countries that have the best co-efficient across the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League this season. 

Italy are currently top of that ranking with an average coefficient of 18.428, with AC Milan, Roma, Atalanta and Fiorentina all still in European competitions. 

Germany are currently ranked second in the standings at 17.214 after Dortmund’s win on Tuesday, just 0.464 points ahead of England who sit third in the standings. 

Alongside Dortmund, Germany also have Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in European tournaments this season.

England meanwhile is currently represented by Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa.

Should England surpass Germany in the standings, it will mean the team that finishes fifth in the Premier League this season will qualify for the Champions League. 

It could also be a big blow for Tottenham and Newcastle, who sit fifth and sixth in the league standings, with Spurs 10 points clear of the Magpies and Red Devils who sit level on 60 points.

Both Newcastle and Manchester United crashed out of Europe in December after finishing bottom of their respective Champions League groups.  

The two countries with the best coefficient will receive an extra Champions League spot

Man United are currently at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League next season 

Sancho is set to return to Old Trafford in the summer, though Dortmund have been  plotting to make the £73million winger’s move to the Signal Iduna Park permanent – with his contract at United set to expire in 2026.

Sancho, who has returned two goals and two assists for Dortmund since his return, recently liked a social media post that appeared to criticise his time at Man United. 

The winger had been exiled by Ten Hag after he branded the Dutch manager a liar over his criticisms over his training standards. 

Sancho had claimed he had been made a scapegoat in an inflammatory social media post in response to his manager’s claims, but Ten Hag was firm in his stance, with the winger being forced to train away from the first team before going out on loan. 

Whether he will return to United in the summer remains to be seen after he was exiled by Ten Hag last season, but has made it clear that he is happy playing in Germany again. 

‘I’m just grateful that I got the goal for the team,’ he said. ‘I’ve always got a special place for Borussia Dortmund, this is where I kind of made my name so I’ve got to be grateful to them but also to my team-mates for believing in me.’

Sancho and Dortmund will now advance to take on Paris-Saint Germain in the semi-finals 

Dortmund will now take on PSG in the next round after they came back to beat Barcelona 

Back at Old Trafford, meanwhile, Ten Hag’s side are very much in danger of missing out on playing in the Champions League next season, with the Dutch manager having recently expressed the financial ramifications that missing out on qualifying could have for the club. 

‘We don’t even have to discuss this. What exactly is the impact in this moment? I don’t know,’ he said in February.

‘You have more financial power when you achieve the Champions League and that is our target, absolutely.’

Dortmund will now take on PSG in the next round of the tournament after Luis Enrique’s side also sealed an epic comeback victory on Tuesday night against Barcelona.