Haaland v Sancho: 'Deadly duo gone very different ways'

HAALAND V SANCHO: Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho were teammates in 2021 when they won the DFB-Pokal final for Borussia Dortmund, today they will face each other in the FA Cup final. (Pic: Martin Rose/Getty Images)

RB Leipzig 1 (Olmo 71) Borussia Dortmund 4 (Sancho 4, 45; Haaland 28, 87).

When Jadon Sancho steps onto the Wembley pitch for a Cup Final today in the shadow of Erling Haaland, his mind may well drift back to 2021 when the pair were heroes on a par as they lifted a trophy together in Berlin.

Both players scored twice in the Olympiastadion that day as Borussia Dortmund beat rivals RB Leipzig 4-1 in the DFB-Pokal Final, with many pundits rating Sancho as the man of the match ahead of his colleague.

The comparisons at that time were balanced. Sancho was 21, his teammate 20, and both were on the up and looking destined for the Premier League. Sancho finished the season as the top scorer in the cup, Haaland continued his rapid rise with 27 goals in the Bundesliga; and between them they were the most talked-about and heralded young talents in Europe.

The pace of their progress since then, however, has been far less even.

Haaland, who had to wait another year for his move to City, has become potentially the greatest striker the Premier League has ever seen, even after only one season, and has a ‘Treble’ in his sights for Pep Guardiola's side.

Sancho, meanwhile, has struggled to match that kind of form following a move to Old Trafford which, until recently, has largely disappointed.

But is this match, another final but one in which he plays opposite rather than against his old teammate, a chance to change the narrative for both player and United?

There’s no doubt that if Sancho can be the hero at Wembley – and deny City a Treble in the process - then memories of a slow start to his Old Trafford career will disappear faster than a Haaland header from a Kevin de Bruyne corner.

With that mind, perhaps watching a re-run of that DFB-Pokal final wouldn’t be a bad way to prepare.

It was a very different scenario back then, with no crowd in the stadium because of the ongoing Covid pandemic, and rain in Berlin rather than the 22 degrees sunshine expected at Wembley in front of 90,000 fans this weekend.

But Sancho was at his very best, and already coveted by a long list of European giants.

He opened the scoring with a stunning goal, curling home an angled right-foot shot from just inside the penalty area after Haaland was involved in the build-up.

The Norwegian then made it 2-0, dumping Dayot Upamecano on the floor before firing home with his left; and Sancho’s second, set up by Marco Reus, put his side out of sight before half-time. A special moment for the winger who had scored twice against the same opposition in the Bundesliga only a few days earlier.

Leipzig did fight back after the break, scoring through Dani Olmo, but even though Sancho missed a wonderful chance to complete a hat-trick when clean through, the match was sealed by a late close-range finish from Haaland.

Current United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer captained Leipzig that day, by the way, so had a close-up view of the two players who will go head-to-head at Wembley, today on an afternoon when they will compete rather than combine together for headlines and glory.

Sancho certainly got his fair share of both in 2021. After all, he was the youngest player to score twice in a DFB Pokal final, at 21 years, 49 days, and finished the cup campaign with six goals.

The Sun labelled the pair as “Dortmund's deadly duo” in its match report, Planet Football called them 'the two hottest young talents in world football', while Eurosport named Sancho ‘man of the match’ with a verdict that read “Haaland was excellent as always, but it was Sancho who stole the show. The England international was almost untouchable with his frightening pace, trickery and composure. A sensational talent.” They even gave him 10 out of 10 in the team ratings, eclipsing Haaland’s 9.

Since then, Sancho’s trajectory hasn’t been anywhere near as steep as that of his former teammate, but that match in 2021 is a reminder of what he is capable of - and there are signs that Erik ten Hag is the man to bring his talent back to the fore.

The winger, of course, earned his move to United soon after lifting the German Cup, moving to Old Trafford for 85m Euros in July 2021, while Haaland waited a year before moving to City for 60m Euro in June 2022, greeting questions about his future after that final victory with sensitivity.

"I Just won my first major trophy, and it was a great feeling," he said. "I have a contract for a couple of more years, so I am respectful towards my contract."

Comparing statistics since then seems almost unfair given Haaland’s remarkable achievements – 98 goals to Sancho’s 12. But Sancho does have a League Cup medal to put on the table and now, reunited at Wembley, has a wonderful chance if not to close the gap on his former teammate, then at least redress the balance.

Two goals for each player, just like 2021, would keep neutral fans happy. But Sancho needs a winner to really convince us he’s on the way back.

RB Leipzig (3-1-4-2): Gulacsi; Halstenberg, Upamecano, Klostermann; Kampi (Forsberg 62), Haidara (Henrichs 70), Sabitzer, Olmo, Mukiele (Laimer 62); Hwang (Nkunku 46), Sorloth (Poulsen 46). 

Unused subs: Martinez, Orban, Konate, Kluivert.

Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3): Burki; Guerreiro, Hummels, Akanji, Piszezek; Bellingham (Hazard 46), Can, Dahoud (Delaney 73); Reus (Brandt 90), Haaland (Reyna 90), Sancho (Meunier 89).

Unused subs: Drljaca, Schulz, Reinier, Knauff.