BERLIN: Erling Haaland netted four goals and Youssoufa Moukoko became the youngest player in Bundesliga history on Saturday as Borussia Dortmund routed Hertha Berlin 5-2 to trim Bayern Munich’s lead at the top of the table to just a point.

It was the first time the 20-year-old Haaland had scored four goals in a game for Dortmund since his January debut, with all of them coming in the second half.The Norwegian now has 10 goals in seven Bundesliga matches this season to give him a total of 31 goals in 30 games in all competitions for Dortmund.

After Matheus Cunha gave Hertha a first-half lead at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, Dortmund roared back.

Haaland equalised when he tapped home an Emre Can pass on 47 minutes.

He grabbed his second two minutes later with perfect timing to slip his marker and fire in a Julian Brandt pass.

Haaland wrapped up his hat-trick on 62 minutes, just before Raphael Guerreiro stabbed the ball home from close range to make it 4-1.

Cunha converted a late penalty, but the night belonged to Haaland who finished a move he started with 10 minutes to play.

There was still time for history to be made as Moukoko made a late cameo off the Dortmund bench to replace Haaland.

One day after his 16th birthday, Moukoko is the youngest player in Bundesliga history.

Dortmund’s romp in Berlin moved them second in the standings, behind defending champions Bayern who stayed top despite a 1-1 home draw with Werder Bremen.

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer produced great stops to twice deny US forward Josh Sargent as Bremen earned their first point at Bayern for a decade.The 34-year-old bounced back after conceding six goals in Germany’s crushing defeat by Spain in midweek with two brilliant first-half saves in quick succession.

He used a boot to block a Sargent shot, then lunged across goal to save from Ludwig Augustinsson.

In the dying stages, Neuer then stood tall to block a shot by Sargent, who had broken clear.

Bremen deservedly went ahead just before half-time when midfielder Maximilian Eggestein finished off a superb attack.

Kingsley Coman equalised in the 62nd minute at the Allianz Arena by meeting a Leon Goretzka cross at the far post.

Bayern forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting fired over with the goal at his mercy five minutes from time.

However, Neuer’s heroics at the other end preserved the draw.

Bayer Leverkusen are third after their 2-1 win at strugglers Arminia Bielefeld thanks to Aleksandar Dragovic’s late winner.

The victory was a relief for Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, who scored a embarrassing own goal early in the second half.

Leverkusen were 1-0 up thanks to a Leon Bailey goal when Hradecky sliced a clearance, which rolled into the empty net behind him.

Dragovic stabbed home from close range two minutes from time to spare Hradecky’s blushes.

RB Leipzig sit fourth after Yussuf Poulsen came off the bench and produced a deft second-half volley in their 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt after winger Aymen Barkok gave the hosts an early lead.

Despite having seven players quarantined with the coronavirus, a depleted Hoffenheim drew 3-3 at home with Stuttgart.

Schalke’s winless run stretched to 24 league games, dating back to January, after losing 2-0 at home to Wolfsburg.

A Daniel Caligiuri equaliser two minutes from time gave 10-man Augsburg a 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2020