The 19-year-old attacker has scored five goals in under an hour – but that’s not enough to escape a lighthearted jibe from a team-mate
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki has joked that he fears Erling Haaland is beginning to lose his scoring touch – despite the forward having netted five goals in just 57 minutes of football for the Bundesliga side.
The striker made an astonishing start for BVB when he netted a hat-trick on debut against Augsburg and followed that up with a double in Friday night’s 5-1 win over Koln.
The 29-year-old shot-stopper, though, took a friendly dig at the teenage striker for failing to match his treble of a week ago.
“It’s a pity he’s slowing down!” Burki told DAZN. “First three goals, then two goals. I hope that it won’t only be one goal next. Joking aside, he is a great kid. He has everything it takes to reach the top.”
Marco Reus, who along with Raphael Guerreiro and Jadon Sancho was also on target as Dortmund drew level on points with second-placed Bayern Munich in the table, was also full of praise for the January recruit from Red Bull Salzburg.
“That’s what we signed him for,” he said. “It’s wonderful for him, of course. There are worse ways to start at a club.
“He is very calm, stays relaxed and works very hard.”
Julian Brandt added: “That’s why we signed Erling. The fact that he’s still very young makes it all the more amazing. He is extremely fast and knows how to use his body well. He’s a weapon.”
Head coach Lucien Favre, meanwhile, was also happy with the contribution of his young star, who he has twice brought on off the bench to great effect.
“The goals were very, very important. He’s doing very, very well,” the Swiss coach commented.
Haaland is the first player to score five goals in his first two Bundesliga matches, but this form is simply a continuation of the level he displayed in Austria, where he scored 16 times in 14 top-flight outings for the capital side.
Meanwhile, he registered eight times in the Champions League group phases, netting in five individual games as Salzburg ultimately fell agonisingly short of progression due to a 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool in their final match.
Haaland will hope to earn his first start when Dortmund play host to Union Berlin next Saturday.
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