Borussia Dortmund closed the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to three points on Friday as Erling Haaland scored twice to propel them to a 5-1 win over Freiburg.
Belgium international right-back Thomas Meunier sent Dortmund on their way with two goals from corners in the opening half-hour as the usually well-organised Freiburg defence seemed lost at a stadium where the club last won 21 years ago.
Haaland made it 3-0 in added time at the end of the first half when Jude Bellingham caught Lucas Holer dawdling on the ball deep in the Freiburg half and dispossessed him before playing the striker in behind the defence for a simple finish.
The goal ended a run of two games without a goal for the Norway international.
Freiburg showed signs of life midway through the second half when Ermedin Demirovic reacted fast to bundle the ball in on a rebound, but Haaland added his second of the game and his 15th in 13 league games to shut down any hope of a comeback.
That goal was set up by Mahmoud Dahoud, who promptly added a fifth goal with a curling shot into the top-right corner to seal an emphatic victory.
“The first half was really strong in all phases of the game,” Dortmund coach Marco Rose said, but he was critical of the team for giving Freiburg chances in the second half.
The heavy defeat is a blow to Freiburg’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time.
They came into the game fourth in the table with just 18 goals conceded, the joint-best defensive record in the league along with Bayern, but it proved to be a disappointing night for Christian Streich’s side.
Bayern Munich can restore their six-point lead with a win at Cologne on Saturday.
