BERLIN (AP) — Erling Haaland scored in injury time to give Borussia Dortmund a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Friday just when it looked like his team would have to settle for another disappointing result.
Hoffenheim substitute Munas Dabbur equalized in the 90th minute for the visitors, giving home fans a familiar sinking feeling after Dortmund had twice taken the lead.
But Haaland – who had endured a frustrating game – scored when it mattered most a minute later, rifling the ball in under the bar at the third attempt after Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann had saved from substitutes Marius Wolf and Youssoufa Moukoko.
“He's a machine,” fellow Dortmund scorer Jude Bellingham said of Haaland. “I haven't got enough words to describe how good he is and how good of a guy he is.”
American international Gio Reyna got the opening goal for Dortmund, which slipped to a surprise 2-1 loss at Freiburg last weekend.
Reyna became the youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances — at the age of 18 years, 9 months, 15 days — and he celebrated by taking his tally to two goals from three consecutive starts in the league this season.
Axel Witsel endured a painful start to the game with Christoph Baumgartner booked seconds into the game after catching the Dortmund midfielder in the face with his elbow. It was one of the fastest yellow cards ever shown in the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim hit the post though Andrej Kramaric minutes later, before Reyna missed a good chance with Baumann saving at the other end.
The visitors’ rough tactics continued with Stefan Posch getting a yellow card in the seventh minute for a dangerous tackle on Mahmoud Dahoud, but Dortmund kept pushing forward.
New signing Donyell Malen drew a good save from Baumann before the break, and Reyna scored immediately after it with an unstoppable shot inside the far corner after he was picked out by Bellingham, who is also 18.
Hoffenheim improved in the second half, and Gregory Kobel produced a fine save to deny Kramaric in a one-on-one before the hour mark.
There was little Kobel could do to stop Baumgartner equalizing with a low shot inside the far post in the 61st, however.
Dortmund responded with Malen going close before Bellingham took an attempted clearance on his thigh before letting fly inside the left post for the home team’s second goal in the 69th.
More drama was still to come.
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Ciarán Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP
