Borussia Dortmund took a major step toward the Champions League last 16 playoff with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sporting CP on Tuesday.
Serhou Guirassy delivered a stunning performance, matching Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski’s achievements as he played a pivotal role in the win, scoring once and assisting another.
The Guinea international broke the deadlock on the hour mark, heading in his 10th goal of the tournament from a Julian Brandt cross.
Just eight minutes later, Guirassy turned provider, setting up Pascal Gross, who fired home from close range to double Dortmund’s advantage.
Karim Adeyemi sealed the victory in the 82nd minute with a clinical finish, completing a swift five-touch counter-attack to give coach Niko Kovac a winning start in European competition with Dortmund.
Sporting began brightly and came close to scoring when Maxi Araujo’s powerful strike rattled the crossbar.
Moments later, Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel had to be alert to push Conrad Harder’s effort wide in the 35th minute. Despite their early energy, Sporting failed to test Kobel further in the first half.
The second half saw Dortmund take control, with Adeyemi’s low shot in the 55th minute blocked by Rui Silva. Five minutes later, Guirassy finally broke the deadlock, wrong-footing Silva with a well-placed header.
Dortmund maintained their momentum, and Guirassy soon delivered a perfectly timed cross for Gross to volley home in the 68th minute.
By the time Adeyemi added the third goal, Sporting’s resistance had crumbled, despite introducing their star forward Viktor Gyokeres.
Guirassy’s tally of 10 goals equals the record for the most goals scored in a single European Cup/Champions League season by a Dortmund player.
Additionally, his 13 goal involvements now set a new club record for a single Champions League campaign.
Dortmund’s dominance was evident, creating chances worth 1.87 expected goals compared to Sporting’s 0.73. They return to action next week with one foot firmly in the round of 16.
