Erling Haaland brace helps Borussia Dortmund claim hard fought win over Greuther Fürth
By Tushar Bahl
Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga on Wednesday, beating Greuther Fürth 3-0 thanks to a brace from Erling Haaland and a late goal from Donyell Malen.
Borussia Dortmund were far from their usual dynamic best against bottom of the table Greuther Fürth in their final home game of 2021 on Wednesday. But they managed to claim the all important three points in the end to keep pace with title rivals Bayern Munich. Erling Haaland scored a brace to continue his stunning goalscoring form, before Donyell Malen added a third late on to seal the 3-0 win for Marco Rose’s side.
Marco Rose made three changes to the side that was held to a 1-1 draw against VfL Bochum on Saturday. Julian Brandt, Thorgan Hazard and Axel Witsel all returned to the starting XI, with Mahmoud Dahoud, Marius Wolf and Emre Can making way.
The first half was a very cagey affair, with Borussia Dortmund often looking lacklustre in possession and not creating much in terms of chances. Thorgan Hazard did find the back of the net in the 22nd minute after getting on the end of a lovely no-look pass from Erling Haaland. But the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside.
Borussia Dortmund were then awarded a penalty after Maximilian Bauer handled Erling Haaland’s shot inside the box. The Norwegian international made no mistake from the spot and gave his side the breakthrough they needed going into the break.
Borussia Dortmund continued to struggle to find their rhythm in the second half, and that gave Fürth the motivation they needed to start venturing forward a bit more. The away side had a couple of decent half-chances to score but weren’t able to capitalise. And Erling Haaland made them pay in the 82nd minute as he headed Julian Brandt’s free-kick into the back of the net to bring up his 19th goal of the season.
Haaland wasn’t able to complete his hat-trick, but Borussia Dortmund did manage to add a third goal late on. Donyell Malen showed lovely close control before poking the ball into the back of the net in the 90th minute.
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The win helped Borussia Dortmund close the gap to Bayern Munich to six points. And while the performance left a lot to be desired, Marco Rose will be pleased with the result and especially the clean sheet. The Black and Yellows will be away to Hertha Berlin this weekend for their final game of 2021.