European roundup: returning Jadon Sancho impresses in Dortmund victory

Borussia Dortmund, who are currently in fifth place, had a comfortable victory over the Bundesliga's last-placed team, Darmstadt, with a score of 3-0 in their opening match of the year. Jadon Sancho made a successful return to the team after being loaned out by Manchester United, and even provided an assist for one of the goals.

The footballer from England departed from Dortmund where he had played for four years to join United in August 2021. However, he struggled to secure a consistent spot in the team and has only played in three matches this season. This was due to a disagreement with Erik ten Hag. In the recent Bundesliga restart, after a three-week winter break, the footballer appeared comfortable playing for Dortmund and helped them secure their first win in five games of the season.

In the 24th minute of the game, Julian Brandt scored a goal after an impressive individual run by Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Despite their early advantage, Dortmund faced a difficult contest as Darmstadt created opportunities and almost equalized with a close-range header from Luca Pfeiffer in the 63rd minute that was saved by the goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with quick reflexes.

Dortmund finished the game strong in the 76th minute. Sancho, who had entered the game in the 55th minute, created an opportunity that allowed his teammate Marco Reus to score with ease. Later in stoppage time, Youssoufa Moukoko made a beautiful play in the box and scored, making the game 3-0. Dortmund now has 30 points, which puts them three points behind RB Leipzig who lost their game 1-0 at home against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayer Leverkusen remained at the top of the Bundesliga with a four-point lead after securing a thrilling 1-0 win against Augsburg with a last-minute goal from Exequiel Palacios. Although Leverkusen had several missed opportunities and hit the woodwork multiple times, they were able to break the stalemate in the final moments of the match when Palacios scored from close range. This victory takes them to 45 points at the halfway mark of the season, with Bayern Munich, who won 3-0 against Hoffenheim on Friday, at second place with 41 points and a game in hand.

Leverkusen, headed by Xabi Alonso, has remained undefeated in all of their 26 games this season. They dominated the game from the beginning, but unfortunately only hit the post with a left-footed shot by Alejandro Grimaldo in the 28th minute.

Finn Dahmen, the goalkeeper for Augsburg, did a good job by preventing Robert Andrich and Patrik Schick from scoring. Dahmen also managed to stop Grimaldo from scoring in the first half when Leverkusen was lacking in Victor Boniface's attacking prowess. Unfortunately, Boniface, who has been Leverkusen's top scorer this season, got hurt during his preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations and had to undergo surgery for his adductor muscles. As a result, he will be out until at least April.

After the intermission, the visitors provided opportunities for Jeremie Frimpong and Jonas Hofmann, and Augsburg, who couldn't manage a single shot on goal in the opening half, made two attempts on the counter. Yet, it was only in the final moments before the end of the game that Palacios profited from chaos inside the penalty area to score the first goal of the match.

Amir Rrahmani scored a decisive goal in the additional minutes to help Napoli clinch a 2-1 victory against Salernitana, who reside at the bottom of Serie A. This win has provided some relief for Napoli, who were facing criticism as the defending champions. The victory has propelled Napoli to the sixth spot with 31 points, while Salernitana is still lingering at the bottom with only 12 points. Walter Mazzarri, the manager of Napoli, was delighted with the team's win, stating that they remained focused, calm, and truly deserved the victory based on the opportunities they created.

Before the match started in the sunny Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the Napoli team had gone three league games without a win. This had made the fans angry and disappointed. They showed their dissatisfaction by displaying a banner that said, "If you're not going to play with pride, ambition and respect for the city, then leave with dignity." This was a message from the Napoli ultras to the team.

In the 29th minute of the game, Antonio Candreva made a remarkable goal that put Salernitana ahead. He skillfully moved the ball past Matteo Politano with just one touch and then curved his shot from far outside the area into the top corner of the net. This was his fifth goal of the season. Mazzarri, the coach of the opposing team, expressed his disappointment about the situation, saying that his team was at a disadvantage right from the start due to the early goal. He acknowledged that it was a challenging situation, given the circumstances.

It seemed that the guests would go into halftime with the advantage. However, during added time, Napoli earned a penalty due to Federico Fazio's foul on Giovanni Simeone. Politano successfully scored the spot kick into the lower corner, making it past Guillermo Ochoa. This goal was significant for Napoli since they had not scored since the 16th of December and had failed to do so in their previous four games, including their elimination from the Coppa Italia.

Napoli came out for the second half with a changed approach, and Jens Cajuste had two opportunities to score in the first four minutes. His second attempt was a long-range shot that grazed the far post. As the game neared its end, Napoli pushed forward frantically with the support of their fans. In the 96th minute, a free-kick was launched into the penalty area where goalkeeper Ochoa accidentally clashed with his own player. The ball then fell to Rrahmani who swiftly turned and shot from a short distance to score.

Rrahmani stated that the ball was approaching him from the rear, but it was not in a good condition so he halted and took a shot. He didn't have to contemplate much before making the move. Salernitana had another disappointing weekend as they conceded a last-minute goal, just like in their previous match against Juventus where they lost 2-1.

Athletic Bilbao climbed to the third position in La Liga after a victorious Basque derby against Real Sociedad, with Alex Berenguer scoring two goals in the initial half of the game.

Bilbao is currently tied with Barcelona for fourth place with a total of 41 points. However, they are behind both Real Madrid and Girona by seven points. Furthermore, Real Madrid and Girona still have one more game to play compared to Bilbao.

In the 30th minute, Berenguer scored the first goal by tapping a cross from a short distance. Afterwards, he increased the lead 12 minutes later by taking advantage of a rebound. Even though Sociedad tried to make a comeback in the end, Mikel Oyarzabal declined the deficit by two minutes before the game ended, but Bilbao managed to hold their position.