Jadon Sancho overtook Tony Woodcock on Saturday to become the highest scoring English player in Bundesliga history, reaching the landmark before Bayern Munich hotshot Harry Kane.
The Manchester United outcast, who rejoined Borussia Dortmund on loan in January, scored a wonder goal in his team's weekend defeat at RB Leipzig. Sancho curled into the top corner of Peter Gulacsi's net with 20 minutes on the clock, only for Leipzig to fire back with four goals of their own.
It was the 24-year-old's second league goal of the season, and his third in total after an effort against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. Including his first stint at Signal Iduna Park, he now has 40 Bundesliga goals - five more than the 35 posted by compatriot Kane and one more than former Koln striker Woodcock across two spells in the 70s and 80s.
Kane's goals, of course, have all come this season. He has 35 in just 31 games for Bayern, 10 more than the league's next-highest scorer, Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy.
Dortmund had a chance to leapfrog Leipzig and climb into fourth in the Bundesliga with a win at Red Bull Arena, but were only ahead for three minutes after Sancho's opener. Lois Openda quickly equalised and Benjamin Sesko put Leipzig in front in first-half stoppage-time, before Mohamed Simakan and Christoph Baumgartner put the hosts out of sight.
The result leaves Dortmund five points outside the top four with just three games left. However, thanks to the impressive form of German sides in European competition, fifth place looks likely to be good enough to secure Champions League football.
Sancho's parent club, by contrast, have fallen short of Champions League qualification amid a dismal second season under Erik ten Hag. They are mathematically unable to finish in the Premier League's top four after failing to better Aston Villa's result over the weekend, while fifth-place Spurs are six points ahead with a game in hand.
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United boss Ten Hag fielded questions about Sancho's exit earlier this month. The winger was frozen out amid a war of words with the Dutchman, last turning out for his parent club in August.
"We know he is a fantastic player. That is not a surprise. That is not the issue," Ten Hag said of Sancho, who is under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2026.
Dortmund, meanwhile, are into the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern Munich face Real Madrid in the other semi, while Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen will take on Roma over two legs for a place in the Europa League final.
"We have to quickly turn our attention to Wednesday in order to turn fifth place into a Champions League place for us in the end," Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said of the PSG first leg. "We have that in our own hands."
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