Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland continued his prolific Champions League career by scoring two goals in his team’s recovery from a 3-2 win against Sevilla in the first leg of the round of 16 on Wednesday.
The Spanish side took the lead on seven minutes when midfielder Suso’s shot hit Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, but the visitors responded emphatically, leveling on 19 minutes thanks to a long-range shot from Dahoud.
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Norwegian striker Haaland put the German team ahead at 27, playing a one-two with Jadon Sancho and showing a lot of desire to slide in front of Sevilla Bono goalkeeper and score.
Haaland scored his 10th goal in seven Champions League games for Dortmund, increasing his lead just before the break, but Sevilla saved some hopes of turning the match around in the second leg on March 9, when Dutch striker Luuk de Jong returned to home six minutes from the end.
“The first half, in addition to the opening goal, went exactly as we imagined,” said Dortmund captain Marco Reus.
“The second half was not so good because we became very passive. It became more difficult as the night progressed, so we are very pleased to have won.”
Sevilla substitute Oscar Rodriguez hit the post with a free kick just before De Jong scored, while the hosts thought they could have won a penalty kick when De Jong crashed under Thomas Meunier, who was controlled by VAR, but was not punished.
“We didn’t deserve to lose, but they have some of the best strikers in the world and have made a difference with three opportunities we should have avoided. The score is tough for us,” said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui.
Last season’s Europa League winner Sevilla came into play with a series of nine wins in all competitions and clean sheets in the last seven games.
Recent results contrast with Dortmund’s terrible form at home, with a victory in six Bundesliga games.
Lopetegui had said before the game, however, that Dortmund had one of the best attacks in Europe and his words quickly rang true, as his team conceded three goals in the first half, as many as they had suffered in their 10 previous games.
Haaland was a threat across the field, causing fear to the hosts whenever he took the ball and participated in the three goals.
He passed the ball to Dahoud and the faint midfielder, making his first game since December, fired with an unstoppable shot that confused goalkeeper Bono.
Haaland started the move to the second goal with a powerful run from the middle line before combining with Sancho to score, and he held up a Marco Reus pass before calmly snapping the bottom corner for his second in the game.
“I have been talking a lot with our coach and he said that today would be my game, that he would have my opportunities and that’s what I did,” said Haaland.