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Borussia Dortmund‘s new manager Nuri Sahin hailed England U21 starlet Jamie Gittens after a matchwinning brace opened the Bundesliga 2024/25 season in positive fashion.
The 20-year-old London-born winger has broken into the BVB first-team scene over the past 18 months or so and came off the bench to notch twice against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday to give his side three points and a 2-0 win.
Dortmund faced a tough battle to find their rhythm against Frankfurt in a cagey match that was nearing a scoreless draw until substitute Gittens broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute, moments after Frankfurt’s Fares Chaibi had missed a big chance.
Frankfurt came close to equalising late on, but Gittens scored his second goal after a quick counter-attack, earning head coach Sahin his first three points in charge since the former Dortmund, Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder took over from Edin Terzic in summer.
“We had moments where we struggled, the momentum was on their side especially after they almost made it 1-0. But we scored and that’s what matters,” Sahin told reporters after the game.
“We had the rub of the green and the momentum was luckily on our side towards the end. We made a relatively difficult start to the game; new season, new coach, new players. It was important to start off with three points. I am relieved. (Now) we need to accelerate this process with victories.”
Sahin praised 20-year-old Englishman Gittens’ performance, “All five (substitutes) came in with extra fire... The scenes are the best testament to Jamie’s development. Without any detours, he’s on his way up. We have high expectations for him.”
Speaking in the mixed press zone after the match, the England U21 starlet said:
“It was a great game for me. I scored two goals. I’m happy that it worked out. I practise such things in every training session together with Donny [Donyell Malen] and the other strikers – practice, practice, practice.
“Niki Sule can defend well against me. He’s quick and he’s very big. Those were two very important goals. It’s a crazy feeling to be celebrated by the South Stand. I went into a one-on-one prior to the goal for 1-0 – and then it just worked. We’re trying to play with more ball possession this season.”
Gittens joined Dortmund after spending time at Man City’s academy, having earlier been at Chelsea and Reading. He has played seven times for England’s U21 outfit and was part of the squad which won the U19 European Championship in 2022 along with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka and Jarell Quansah.
Additional reporting by Shifa Jahan of Reuters
