Gio Reyna Records Highlight Assist in First Start for Dortmund

American midfielder Gio Reyna quickly made his mark in his first start for Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

In the 30th minute, Reyna set up a goal for Erling Haaland to give Dortmund a 1-0 lead over RB Leipzig in Bundesliga play. The assist was Reyna's first for Dortmund of the season.

Saturday's game was Reyna's first since Dortmund resumed play following stoppage due to the coronavirus pandemic. Reyna, 17, was pegged to make the starting lineup sooner but was held out of Dortmund's previous two matches due to an injury suffered in warmups and illness. 

Reyna, a U.S. men's national team prospect, made his debut with Dortmund in January alongside Haaland in a 5-3 victory over Augsburg. Saturday's clash was Reyna's 17th appearance this season.

"He's only 17 but he's a huge talent," Dortmund manager Lucien Favre said earlier this week. "He understands football, makes the right runs, defends properly. It's fantastic what he does."

Haaland returned for the first time on Saturday following an injury in Dortmund's 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich, where he limped off the pitch. Reyna took the place of Manchester United target Jadon Sancho in the starting lineup, who was on the substitute's bench. 

Heading into Saturday's match, Dortmund stood at second in the Bundesliga after already clinching Champions League qualification for next season. Since falling to Wolfsburg in the 2015 DFB-Pokal final, Dortmund is 8-0-1 in Bundesliga meetings with RB Leipzig. 

Reyna had attempted four shots during Dortmund's season prior to Saturday's clash with RB Leipzig.