PSV’s Champions League run has come to an end as the Dutch club’s U.S. men’s national team stars couldn’t prevent their defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
Following a 1-1 first-leg draw in the Netherlands, both sides had everything to play for on Wednesday in Germany. The hosts struck first and struck early, setting the tone.
The opening goal came just three minutes in, with on-loan winger Jadon Sancho giving his side the advantage. Teed up by Julian Brandt, Sancho picked out a corner with a shot from the edge of the box, giving Dortmund an early lead and settling nerves within both the team and the crowd.
Dortmund seemingly doubled their lead in the 77th minute with a goal from Niklas Fullkrug, but a tight offside call saw the finish called back, giving PSV some hope.
Borussia Dortmund vs PSV (Via Champions League/Twitter)
Unfortunately for them, that hope never turned into a goal, while Dortmund added their own late with Marco Reus scoring a stoppage-time finish to seal a 3-1 aggregate win.
With the loss, PSV’s focus will now shift solely to domestic competitions, having failed to progress past the Champions League’s Round of 16. This season, however, marked the first time PSV made it to the Champions League knockouts since the 2015-16 campaign, when they fell to Atletico Madrid at the same stage.
It was a valiant effort from the Dutch side, and they exceeded expectations.
As expected, two of the three USMNT stars were in PSV’s XI just an hour or so after all three were confirmed for the U.S. squad for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League. Dest and Tillman were named to PSV’s starting XI, while Pepi was on the bench before coming on late as a second-half substitute.
Borussia Dortmund (Via BVB/Twitter)
Dest started on the left-hand side at fullback, playing behind Tillman, who took up a spot on the left wing. Of the two, Dest was the more dangerous, having one good look at goal and creating one chance. Tillman, meanwhile, never quite got going in the attack.
Pepi entered the fray in the 82nd minute with PSV pushing hard for a goal, but it never materialized as the American got just a few touches on the ball.
PSV will return to Eredivisie play this weekend as they host FC Twente in their final match before the international break. The matchup features two of the league’s three best teams, with PSV 16 points clear of their third-place opponents.
