Erling Haaland: MD19’s Man of the Matchday and Borussia Dortmund record breaker
A debut hat-trick plus one brace in two second-half cameos spanning 57 minutes equals another big slice of history for Borussia Dortmund's deep-impact teenager Erling Haaland.
Don't pretend you didn't see it coming. After scoring three times in 23 minutes against Augsburg on Bundesliga Matchday 18, Haaland celebrated his second top-flight outing and home bow with another headline-grabbing salvo in a 5-1 rout of Cologne.
The 19-year-old winter signing from Red Bull Salzburg entered the fray at the expense of Thorgan Hazard in the 65th minute; had one warm-up shot blocked; found his mark in the 77th minute; and completed his brace 10 minutes later to take his Bundesliga tally to five goals in two substitute outings - at a clip of one every 12 minutes at that.
It is a feat no player in the 56-year history of the Bundesliga - not Gerd Müller, not Robert Lewandowski, not even super-sub teammate Paco Alcacer - has ever achieved.
"It's wonderful for him, of course," commented Dortmund captain Marco Reus, who scored one and supplied Haaland's opener against Cologne. "There are worse starts. That's why we signed him."
As well as being the first to reach five goals in two games, Haaland is also the Bundesliga's second-youngest hat-trick scorer, and the division's first substitute debutant to strike three times in one game.
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Despite having scored five goals in his 59 minutes of Bundesliga football in total so far, Haaland was disappointed to have not scored more, according to teammate Jadon Sancho.
"We're just happy to have him here. As you can tell, he's very clinical in front of goal," Sancho told bundesliga.com after the game.
"But he's disappointed today because he should have scored three or more goals. He played very well when he came on."
Watch: Sancho talks about Haaland after Cologne win!
Earlier this season whilst playing for Salzburg, meanwhile, he became the first player in UEFA Champions League history to find the net with each of his first four efforts on goal in a match with Belgian champions Genk.
Notwithstanding Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki's post-Cologne quip that "he's already slowing down", if Haaland continues at this rate he will have smashed through the 20-strike barrier by the time the Black-Yellows entertain defending champions Bayern Munich on 4 April.
A maiden Bundesliga start could swell that outlook significantly, and come as early as next week's visit of Union Berlin to the Signal Iduna Park, where Haaland will be out to ensure it's a case of first, second and third time lucky...
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