Dortmund scores 7 to deal Bayern challenge in Bundesliga
BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund finally delivered the performance its fans were waiting for, routing promoted Nuremberg 7-0 to become Bayern Munich's closest challenger in the Bundesliga on Wednesday.
Marco Reus scored twice to take his Dortmund tally to 100 as Lucien Favre's side took advantage of Bayern's draw with Augsburg on Tuesday to narrow the gap on the defending champion to two points after five games played.
After rescuing the side with two goals in his last two games, Christian Pulisic again proved decisive by eluding two Nuremberg players and then dinking the ball over the defense for the 20-year-old Jacob Bruun Larsen to score spectacularly in the ninth minute. The Danish midfielder lobbed Nuremberg goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow from a narrow angle to send the ball inside the far post.
Pulisic was also involved in Dortmund's second, combining with Maximilian Philipp before Reus thumped the ball from 16 meters (17 yards) to score with a deflected shot after 30 minutes.
Achraf Hakimi, on loan from Real Madrid, then scored on his Dortmund debut early in the second half with his first shot in the league, before Reus grabbed his second after one-touch interplay with Bruun Larsen. The Dortmund captain went off shortly afterward to applause from the home supporters.
Swiss defender Manuel Akanji scored the fifth with 15 minutes remaining, Jadon Sancho added another in the 85th and Julian Weigl completed the rout.
PLEA PAYS OFF
Borussia Moenchengladbach's most expensive signing, Alassane Plea, broke the deadlock to set his side on its way to a 3-1 win over visiting Eintracht Frankfurt.
The 25-year-old Plea, who joined from French side Nice for $26.3 million in the off-season, scored his third goal of the season ten minutes into the second half.
Kevin Volland's two goals were enough for Bayer Leverkusen to win 2-1 at promoted Fortuna Duesseldorf, giving Heiko Herrlich's side its second victory after starting with three defeats.
Leipzig defeated visiting Stuttgart 2-0, and Mainz drew with Wolfsburg 0-0.
