Erling Braut Haaland scored with a stunning lob as his two-goal haul on Sunday helped Borussia Dortmund hold off Union Berlin with a 4-2 home win to go second in the Bundesliga table behind defending champions Bayern Munich.
Haaland, 21, chipped the ball over the Union goalkeeper from the edge of the area seven minutes from time to see off Union who had fought back with second-half goals.
“Erling is simply a goal-hunting machine. When he sees a chance to put the ball in the net, his eyes light up and a fire is lit,” Dortmund defender Mats Hummels told DAZN.
However, the Dortmund defender was less impressed with how the hosts allowed Union back into the game.
“I was very happy up until 3-0, then we allowed an opponent back into the game who were finished,” he said.
Union striker Taiwo Awoniyi had the ball in the net after 40 seconds, but Dortmund raced ahead with three unanswered goals.
Raphael Guerreiro put Dortmund ahead with a stunning early volley at Signal Iduna Park before Haaland powered in a header.
Union were 3-0 down early in the second half when their defender Marvin Friedrich turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Haaland.
However, Germany striker Max Kruse netted a penalty for Union before his replacement Andreas Voglsammer headed the visitors back into the game with nine minutes left.
Haaland settled the matter when he spotted Union goalkeeper Andreas Luthe off his line and lunged at full stretch to lob the ball into the net.
Having also hit a hat-trick in the German Cup this season, and also netted in the Champions League win at Besitkas on Wednesday, Haaland has scored 11 goals this season, including seven in five league games, making him the Bundesliga’s joint top-scorer alongside Robert Lewandowski.
The Poland striker also netted on Saturday as Bayern Munich went top for the first time this season with a 7-0 thrashing of Bochum.
The win over Union leaves Dortmund second in the table, a point behind Bayern, but level with third-placed Wolfsburg, who can regain top spot on Sunday night if they beat Eintracht Frankfurt at home.
Earlier, teenager Florian Wirtz inspired Bayer Leverkusen to a 3-1 win at Stuttgart despite the visitors playing with only 10 men for an hour after Robert Andrich was sent off for a first-half red card.
Wirtz, already a full Germany international who turned 18 last May, slotted home Leverkusen’s third goal to kill off Stuttgart’s fightback after Andrich saw red with only 30 minutes played.
Leverkusen raced into a 2-0 lead after goals by Andrich and Patrik Schick, but Stuttgart pulled one back by Belgium attacking midfielder Orel Mangala before Wirtz grabbed the winner 20 minutes from time.
The win lifts Leverkusen to fourth in the table, three points behind Bayern, while Stuttgart are down in 14th with just four points from their first five games.
(With AFP inputs)
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