Jadon Sancho helps end Manchester United's Champions League dream

Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho in action for Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho in action for Borussia Dortmund vs PSG -Credit:Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images


Manchester United's slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season have been ended partly thanks to the performance of Jadon Sancho.

On Wednesday night, Sancho's Borussia Dortmund defeated PSG 1-0 in their semi-final first-leg clash. Niclas Fullkrug bagged the winner in the first half as he broke the offside trap to fire underneath the dive of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Sancho was one of the star players for Dortmund on the night, as he showed the promise he was unable to reach at Old Trafford. His display, along with his teammates' results, spelled disaster for United.

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The Reds' only chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season was to finish fifth and hope that England secured one of the top two spots in the UEFA coefficient rankings. The European football authority have chosen to award extra Champions League spots to the two performing nations in this season's three UEFA competitions because they are expanding the Champions League next season.

Italy had already confirmed one of the spots, and the victory for Dortmund means Germany have secured the other spot. That victory moved Germany onto 18.357 points, and England could only gain a maximum of 18.25 points if Aston Villa were to win the Europa Conference League.

This means that a fifth-place finish in the Premier League this season will only be good enough for the Europa League. United only have themselves to blame for missing out on the Champions League after a feeble effort in the competition saw them knocked out in the group stages.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, United soon lost touch with the top four, and they now have a battle on their hands to finish in the Europa League. The Reds must now win the FA Cup or sixth place in the Premier League to qualify for the second-tier European competition.