Borussia Dortmund internationals: Haaland and Malen face off in the World Cup Qualifiers

Borussia Dortmund strikers Donyell Malen and Erling Haaland faced off in a World Cup qualifier as Norway and the Netherlands played out a 1-1 draw.

The first international break of the new season is in full swing, and Borussia Dortmund stars were on duty with their respective countries national teams on Wednesday. Two of Dortmund’s main men up top faced off as Norway took on the Netherlands in a fast paced game that ended in a 1-1 draw. It was a chance for both strikers to show off their prowess in front of goal, and Haaland took the initiative early on.

Haaland and Norway struck first in the 19th minute when the Borussia Dortmund goal machine found himself the recipient of a lobbed ball sent into the box. Haaland remained strong and his shot ended up in the far right corner past Justin Bijlow. The Dutch responded in the 36th minute, however, through Davy Klaassen, restoring parity.

Donyell Malen, for his part, came onto the pitch as a second half substitute for the Netherlands. He started off quite lively, popping up in various areas along the front line and getting a particularly good chance to give the Netherlands the lead in 60th minute. A quick feint was all it took to plant the opposition defender in front of him and create the space needed for a low driven shot towards the far post.

The shot ended up going wide though, and moments later it was Haaland’s turn to come close to scoring. A quick Norway counter attack saw Martin Ødegaard find Haaland in space on the edge of the box. As he closed in on his second of the game, Haaland let fly and hit the near post with a ferocious effort.

The game continued to lean in Norway’s favor, with Haaland’s side looking the more likely to score the winner. Malen and his Dutch teammates found it hard to break down Norway’s back-line. But the game finished 1-1 in the end.

Haaland and Norway can now look forward to facing Latvia and Gibraltar in the coming days, while Malen and the Netherlands will take on Montenegro and Turkey.