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Reyna shines in Sancho's absence, Haaland double for Dortmund

Reyna shines in Sancho's absence, Haaland double for Dortmund

By Reuters

Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels and Axel Witsel applaud fans after the match. Photo: Reuters

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna and Erling Haaland combined perfectly to help crush Freiburg 4-0 on Saturday as they bounced back in style from a disappointing week. Reyna, the 17-year-old American, served up three assists in the absence of their top provider Jadon Sancho, sidelined with an infection. Norwegian forward Haaland scored two of those goals either side of Emre Can's 47th minute header, to take his tally to 17 goals from 18 Bundesliga games this year. Haaland then set up Felix Passlack for their fourth in stoppage time. It was the first win in three games for the Ruhr valley club after last week's shock loss to Augsburg and Wednesday's defeat to Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup. It took Dortmund half an hour to get started and they scored with their first chance when Haaland slotted in after Reyna had combined well with Marco Reus in the 31st minute. They missed several more chances to score before the break but Can quickly made amends, drilling in a powerful header in the 47th from a Reyna corner. The 20-year-old Haaland then latched onto a flawless Reyna through ball to beat the Freiburg keeper Florian Mueller once more in the 66th, and he could have bagged a hat-trick in stoppage time with only Mueller to beat. Instead he chose to lay it off for Passlack for an easy tap-in. Dortmund have six points from their three league games, with RB Leipzig on top on seven following their 4-0 demolition of Schalke 04, who have now gone 19 consecutive league games without a win. New Schalke coach Manuel Baum, who replaced David Wagner this week, could do nothing to stop his team equalling the club's record winless run with a sixth consecutive league loss. In their three league games this season Schalke have now conceded 15 goals and scored one. Leipzig killed the game off in the first half with three goals in 14 minutes. Marcel Halstenberg added a fourth with an 80th minute penalty. Champions League club Borussia Moenchengladbach scored their first victory of the season, winning 3-1 win at Cologne with newly-selected Germany international Jonas Hofmann setting up the first two goals. Champions Bayern Munich, who also lost last week, are on three and take on Hertha Berlin on Sunday.