Erling Haaland nets double on comeback as Borussia Dortmund go top of Bundesliga
Erling Haaland marked his return from injury with two goals as Borussia Dortmund beat Mainz 3-1 to go top of the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Norwegian striker Haaland missed Dortmund's last four games in all competitions with a thigh complaint, but returned against Mainz to score his third brace in as many appearances and take his season tally to nine league goals.
"Erling really wanted to play and he gave everything to be on the pitch today," Dortmund coach Marco Rose said.
"We really missed him, and it's great that he scored two goals. That's what he signed him for," added captain Marco Reus.
Victory sent Dortmund top of the table, leapfrogging Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, who meet on Sunday.
Reus smashed a brilliant half-volley into the top corner to give Dortmund the lead on three minutes, before Haaland coolly converted a penalty to double the lead after the break.
Jonathan Burkardt struck late on to give Mainz hope, but Haaland swept in a second in injury time to seal the win and continue Dortmund's perfect home record this season.
Fellow top-four hopefuls RB Leipzig lost further ground on the leaders as they were held to a 1-1 draw away to unbeaten Freiburg.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
