Paderborn 1 – 6 Borussia Dortmund
31/05/20
Jadon Sancho returned from injury with an explosive display scoring a hat-trick as Dortmund ran out easy winners against Paderborn.
Sancho completed his hat-trick in the 90th minute after goals from Thorgen Hazard, Achraf Hakimi and Dortmund veteran Marcel Schmelzer.
While Paderborn have only won four games this season Borussia Dortmund were advised not to completely underestimate the Bundesliga whipping boys having been undefeated since the restart of the season and having come away from the reverse fixture against Dortmund in November with a 3-3 draw.
Hack of a first half
Bottom place Paderborn matched second place Dortmund throughout the first half with striker Chritsopher Antni-Adjei particularly lively working the channels and trying to get in behind the Dortmund defense with his pace.
Adjei was put in on ten minutes but snatched at his shot. This didn’t seem to dishearten the Ghanian and minutes later he was driving at the Dortmund defense but this time his finish went high and wide.
The first real chance of the game came after a long 25 minutes when Dortmund’s attack sparked to life with a lightening break. Sancho played it to Julian Brandt and Brandt’s pull back was fizzed at goal by the on rushing Guerreiro and deflected wide for a corner.
Hazard was almost in when he reached Paderborn defender Chrisitan Strohdiek’s attempted header back to his keeper. Strohdiek’s header was weak and Zingerle had to race out to smother the ball for a corner.
Antni-Adjei found space on Dortmund’s left this time but again his shooting boots were clearly still in the locker room as he blazed over from ten yards.
Dortmund were trying to pull out of second gear towards the end of the half but each of their attacks were breaking down with one pass too many. The best opportunity fell to Brandt on the stroke of half time. Sancho stepped over Can’s cross which fell to Brandt but the Dortmund midfielder blazed over from eighteen yards.
Sancho ignites second half
It took just a fifteen minute break for Sancho to return to form after a frustrating first half display.
First Sancho was played in on the right by Brandt and his driven cross was somehow diverted wide by Hazard from six yards.
Hazard made up for it minutes later, although fortuitously. It was good work from Emre Can, Dortmund’s most industrious player on the day, who got to the byline and pulled it into the six yard area. Zingerle could only parry Can’s cross to the feet of Hazard who tapped in.
Three minutes later Sancho scored probably the easiest of his sixteen Bundesliga goals this season when he tapped into an empty net off of Julian Brandt’s low cross.
On seventy minutes Paderborn were awarded a penalty which was expertly converted by former Brighton and Hove Albion defender Uwe Hunemeier. Can threw himself at a shot in the box and even though the former Liverpool and Juve man was looking away and his arm was tucked into his side replays showed the ball struck his elbow and Daniel Siebert pointed to the spot.
Dortmund responded two minutes later with Jadon Sancho applying a quality finish to Thorgen Hazard’s cross. Hazard fizzed a low ball into the box which was superbly controlled by Sancho who made himself space in amongst a host of Paderborn defenders to fire a powerful finish across Zingerle and into the net.
Paderborn’s day was up and Dortmund got a fourth through Hakimi, a fifth when veteran Schmelzer bundled it into the net and Sancho completed his hat-trick on full-time with a low finish after the Paderborn defense went missing.
Paderborn: Zingerle, Hunemeier, Strohdier, Schonlau, Drager, Vasiliadis, Holtmann, Collins, Anti-Adjei, Srbeny, Mamba
Subs: Huth, Jans, Ritter, Proger, Sabiri, Evans, Michel, Zolinski, Jastrzembski
Borussia Dortmund: Burki, Piszczek, Hummels, Akanji, Hakimi, Can, Delaney, Guerreiro, Brandt, Hazard, Sancho
Subs: Hitz, Reyna, Witsel, Morey, Balerdi, Furich, Gotze, Raschl, Schmelzer
Goals: Hazard 53′, Sancho 56′ 73′ 90′, Hunemeier (pen) ’70, Schmelzer 82′, Hakimi 85′
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 