BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Augsburg on Saturday as Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland failed to rescue the visitors on his return to Bavaria, where he wrote Bundesliga history in January.

With defending champions Bayern Munich in action at Hoffenheim on Sunday, last season’s runners-up Dortmund blew the chance to build on their impressive 3-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach last Saturday when Haaland scored twice in an electric display on the opening weekend of the season.

The 20-year-old has netted 18 goals in 21 games this year for Dortmund and wrote himself into Bundesliga history in January when he became the first player to score a hat-trick off the bench on his German league debut.

Haaland’s three goals in 20 min­utes sparked a 5-3 fight-back win.

However, the Norwegian hot-shot drew a blank on his return to Augsburg’s WWK-Arena with just one clear shot on goal as centre-back Felix Uduokhai powered home a header for the hosts from a free-kick on 40 minutes.

Augsburg’s ex-Schalke play­maker Daniel Caligiuri added to Dortmund’s misery by holding off Thomas Meunier to fire home the hosts’ second on 54 minutes.

Haaland was booked with a half an hour gone after some pushing and shoving with Augs­burg defender Jeffrey Gouwel­eeuw, who was also shown a yellow card.

Dortmund had three times as many shots on goal and dominated with 80 percent possession, which left their Swiss coach Lucian Favre to admit: “We are very disappointed, it’s hard to accept this defeat.

Schalke coach David Wagner suffered more misery with his side now 18 games without a win after slumping to a 3-0 defeat at home by Werder Bremen, whose striker Niclas Fuellkrug claimed a hat-trick.

Schalke were hammered 8-0 by Bayern last weekend and Bremen profited from some equally woeful defending.

Fuellkrug tapped home his first goal on 22 minutes, was left unmar­ked to head home a free-kick on 37 minutes, then converted a penalty on the hour before Mark Uth scored Schalke’s late consolation goal.

There could also be consequences for Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak who was sent off for a second yellow card late on.

Television cameras also caught Kabak spitting at defender Ludwig Augustinsson after a tackle just before the break, which the referee missed.

Earlier RB Leipzig were held to a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen as Emil Forsberg’s superb opening goal for the Champions League semi-finalists was cancelled out by a long-range effort from Leverkusen’s Kerem Demirbay.

Leverkusen’s new signing Patrik Schick, who spent last season on loan at Leipzig, curled in a superb shot from 16 metres out but his stunning strike was ruled offside with 23 minutes left.

Borussia Moenchengladbach had to settle for a point at home to Union Berlin in their 1-1 draw.

Marcus Thuram’s headed goal for Gladbach on 56 minutes was cancelled out by an equaliser from Union defender Nico Schlott­erbeck, 20, making his Bundesliga appearance for the Berlin-based club, with 11 minutes left.

History was made in Arminia Bielefeld’s 1-0 win at Cologne as Joan Simun Edmundsson, 29 came on to score the winner and become the first Faroe Island player to play and score in the Bundesliga.

Newly-promoted Stuttgart romped to a thumping 4-1 win at 10-man Mainz. Sweden forward Robin Quaison scored early on for Mainz, but Congo winger Silas Wamangituka and Daniel Didavi netted for Stuttgart before Mainz had Moussa Niakhate sent off for a second booking.

The flood gates opened with goals by replacement Mateo Klimowicz and forward Sasa Kalajdzic in the final 10 minutes.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2020