Jadon Sancho completely anonymous as Borussia Dortmund pegged back by PSV Eindhoven following penalty controversy in Champions League last-16 first leg

It was another frustrating night for Sancho who huffed and puffed on the left and sometimes through the middle but could hardly create anything substantial. On the other hand, Donyell Malen was in inspired form on his return to the Phillips Stadion as he was the livewire for the Black and Yellows. It was not surprising when he popped up with the opener for the visitors. The 25-year-old danced past a couple of defenders after he was set up by Marcel Sabitzer and then rifled a shot at goal from a tight angle. Although the strike did take a deflection it had enough power to beat keeper Walter Benitez and bounce in off the underside of the crossbar.

It was only after falling behind that PSV started finding some purpose in midfield and gradually started asking questions of Dortmund's defence. Hirving Lozano looked like a threat on the left wing as the Mexican tried creating something from nothing to set up his teammates Ismail Saibari, Johan Bakayoko and Luuk De Jong. However, it was not until a stroke of luck that came their way they got back into the match. It looked like a good block from Matts Hummels on Malik Tillman as he got a sizeable portion of the ball after he slid in leading with his studs. However, the USMNT man hit the ground which led the Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanovic to point to the spot. And De Jong did the rest from 12 yards out.

As the game wore on, Dortmund offered very little going forward and it was a subdued second half from the visitors, which allowed PSV to take confidence from the match before travelling to Germany in March.

Malen's goal marked the end of an eight-year drought for Dutch players scoring against teams from their homeland in the UEFA Champions League. The last player to accomplish this feat was Arjen Robben, who scored for Bayern Munich against the same opponent.

Malen was undoubtedly the best player on the pitch. His mazy runs on the wide areas proved to be a constant threat for PSV defenders. He was not afraid to test the keeper from distance on a couple of occasions and if his attempts had a bit more fizz in them, Dortmund would have taken a lead back to Germany. Nonetheless, it was a very well-taken goal in the first half, which was his first strike in the competition since December 7, 2021, against Besiktas.

Sancho was an anonymous figure for Dortmund and his performance was reminiscent of his struggles at Manchester United. He lacked imagination and creativity which forced Edin Terzic to replace him in the 68th minute with Marius Wolf.

The two teams will cross paths again in three weeks at Signal Iduna Park in Germany, with everything to play for after a lacklustre evening in Eindhoven. However, both teams have domestic commitments in the short term as PSV will face PEC Zwolle on Saturday in the Eredivisie, while Terzic will lead his troops against Hoffenheim a day later in a Bundesliga fixture.