England Under-21 international Jamie Bynoe-Gittens inspired Borussia Dortmund to a 3-1 Champions League win at AC Milan.
The 19-year-old won a penalty and scored a crucial second at San Siro as Dortmund booked their spot in the knockout stages.
Marco Reus’ 10th-minute penalty punished Olivier Giroud’s early miss from the spot before Samuel Chukwueze levelled.
Bynoe-Gittens made it 2-1 before Karim Adeyemi wrapped up the points for the visitors on Tuesday.
They are top of Group F, three points ahead of Paris St Germain in third after Kylian Mbappe’s stoppage-time penalty rescued a 1-1 draw against Newcastle and have a five-point lead over the Magpies with a game left.
Milan remain bottom with their only win in the group coming against PSG last month but they could still finish second if they beat Newcastle and the French club lose to Dortmund.
They were a point behind their Parisian rivals before kick-off but could have taken a sixth-minute lead when Giroud missed from the spot.
Nico Schlotterbeck was harshly penalised for handling Chukwueze’s shot but Giroud’s penalty lacked conviction and Gregor Kobel went to his right to save.
It was costly as just four minutes later Reus blasted the visitors into the lead from the spot.
Bynoe-Gittens was felled by Davide Calabria as he burst into the box and Reus dispatched the penalty.
Milan, who go to Newcastle in the final group game next month, initially struggled to recover and Bynoe-Gittens drove over as the visitors probed for a second.
Giroud was thwarted by Schlotterbeck but the hosts levelled nine minutes before the break when Chukwueze cut in from the right, between Bynoe-Gittens and Ramy Bensebaini to drill in low.
But Dortmund regrouped and retook the lead after 59 minutes through the England youngster.
A neat move involving Marcel Sabitzer and Niclas Fullkrug on the edge of the box saw the unmarked Bynoe-Gittens sweep in from 16 yards for his second goal in two games.
The visitors added a third after 69 minutes when Adeyemi was found on the edge of the area and neat footwork engineered space to shoot.
Mike Maignan got a strong hand to his shot but, while the goalkeeper almost managed to recover, he could only claw the ball away when it had already crossed the line.
Luka Jovic hit a post as Milan tried to hit back but they almost fell further behind with two minutes left when Fullkrug smacked the bar from 16 yards.
Dortmund got 'fully deserved victory' over Freiburg, says Sahin
Nuri Sahin praised Borussia Dortmund for getting "a fully deserved victory" over nine-man Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Dortmund remained perfect on home soil this season as they cruised to a 4-0 win at Signal Iduna Park after Patrick Osterhage and Junior Adamu were both sent off for the visitors.
Maximilian Bieier and Felix Nmecha scored in the first half before Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens secured the points in the second during a dominant display as they limited Freiburg to just three shots on target at the other end.
Dortmund have now won 11 home games in a row in all competitions. Since the Bundesliga was founded, they have won more consecutive home matches in a row only once, winning 14 in a row at home in 1994.
Sahin has come under pressure recently for the Black and Yellow's less impressive away form, but he was delighted with the showing he saw from his side.
"We started very well. We controlled the spaces. We allowed very little," Sahin said.
"Overall, it was a mature performance from my boys. We scored great goals, showed good energy.
"We kept them away from our goal throughout. It was a fully deserved victory and I, as a coach, am very satisfied."
Dortmund were, however, without Serhou Guirassy, who is their top scorer in the Bundesliga with six goals, as he pulled out of the game due to a virus.
Next up for Sahin's side is a trip to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, and the head coach is hopeful he will be available for that tie.
"[Saturday] morning again, we got the bad news. Serhou tried everything to play today, but it did not work," Sahin added.
"I hope it will be enough for Zagreb. He is a very important player for us."
Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Freiburg: Sahin's side remain perfect on home soil
Borussia Dortmund maintained their perfect home record this season as they eased to a 4-0 victory over nine-man Freiburg at Signal Iduna Park.
Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens were all on target for Nuri Sahin's side, who leapfrogged their opponent to fifth place in the Bundesliga table.
The hosts broke through in the seventh minute as Beier latched onto Ramy Bensebaini's throughball before finishing, while Nmecha's superb long-time strike doubled the lead five minutes before the break.
Freiburg were seeking their first away win over Dortmund since October 2001, and their task became even harder in the 63rd minute when Patrick Osterhage was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
Sahin's side capitalised on their numerical advantage three minutes later, as Brandt floated a delicious free-kick into the top corner.
Bynoe-Gittens then completed the rout in the 77th minute, with the visitors' misery compounded right at the death when Junior Adamu was given his marching orders for violent conduct.
Data Debrief: Home comforts continue for Dortmund
Dortmund have now won all six of their home league games in 2024-25, stretching their streak across all competitions to 11 matches - only topping that with a run of 14 straight wins in 1994.
They are also now unbeaten in 17 home league meetings with Freiburg, who have failed to score in five Bundesliga outings this term - with only St. Pauli (six) unable to find the net on more occasions.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
