While former Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham endured a torrid Champions League night with Real Madrid at Anfield, another Englishman building a reputation at the Bundesliga club was lighting up the competition.
Jamie Gittens has been one of the breakout stars in the competition this season, with his fourth goal in five league phase games setting Dortmund on their way to victory at Dinamo Zagreb.
It was a goal of real beauty from the 20-year-old too, cutting in from the left wing before shooting with his right foot from 18 yards and finding the corner.
And it was a goal that was important, coming towards the end of a first half where Dortmund had dominated without breaking through and seconds after Zagreb keeper Danijel Zagorac had quite brilliantly denied Donyell Malen.
Thanks to Gittens, Dortmund could relax in a game they controlled and eventually they strolled to a 3-0 victory in Croatia.
It serves as another calling card for the former Manchester City youngster, who seems to be following the path set by Jadon Sancho and Bellingham of a young English player making a mark on the European scene with Dortmund.
Whether that path leads him to the senior England squad like Sancho and Bellingham remains to be seen, but Gittens surely cannot fail to have caught the eye of new Three Lions manager and former Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.
If he is looking for fresh blood when he names his first England squad in March, Tuchel may consider players like Gittens capable of having a meaningful impact on the future of the national team.
Tuchel’s answer on the left wing?
This game-changing goal in Zagreb was not a one-off. Earlier in the Champions League, Dortmund were struggling away to Club Brugge, the scoreline still blank with 15 minutes remaining.
But Gittens inspired another 3-0 away win, this time with two goals. The first was a deflected strike, but the second was another piece of individual brilliance involving the right-footed winger cutting inside from the left.
This knack for important strikes also extends to his domestic form, with two late goals earning a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in August.
Gittens’ primary role is on the left wing, and that has been a problem role for England, with nobody making the position their own.
Phil Foden played there during Euro 2024, then Anthony Gordon was Lee Carsley’s primary choice during the Nations League campaign, with Jack Grealish also selected, but Gittens is a natural who is playing there regularly for a side currently fourth in the 36-team Champions League table.
This has been a season in which a young man has been finding his identity – not least in shortening his name from Jamie Bynoe-Gittens at the suggestion of his father.
After being a bit-part player last season with just three Dortmund goals, Gittens has seven in 18 matches so far in 2024-25 and has played some part in all of their competitive matches this campaign.
Bellingham became a world star at Dortmund. Gittens is not there yet, but he is marking our cards as a player who could yet follow suit.
