Borussia Dortmund beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 on the opening day of the Bundesliga campaign. Haaland scored two goals and assisted the other three, showing once more why he’s the most in-demand striker in world football. The Norwegian scored a hat-trick against Wehen Wiesbaden last week in the Cup, taking his total this season to five goals.
The 21-year-old striker has an out-of-this-world record at Dortmund. In 61 games, he netted 62 times, adding 18 assists to his tally.
The rumors linking him to a $210 million move from Dortmund to Chelsea didn’t unsettle Haaland, who is said to welcome the idea of spending another season in Germany before moving to one of the big spenders in world football. Apart from Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City were all interested in Haaland. The financial implications of a potential transfer and Dortmund’s firm stance put talks in the cold, with Chelsea being the last to drop out. Instead, the Champions League winners went for Romelu Lukaku, paying $135 million to sign him from Inter Milan.
👠FÜNF! ZU! ZWEI! #BVBSGE pic.twitter.com/v3Oy1u0oMO
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) August 14, 2021
Can Dortmund challenge Bayern for the title?
BVB went on electric mode early in the game vs Eintracht Frankfurt. The game opposing last season’s third place, Dortmund, to the team which finished just two seats behind, Frankfurt, was unlocked by Marco Reus after 23 minutes. Passlack put the ball in his own net after just four minutes, before Borussia unleashed its striking power. Hazard (32) and Haaland (34) made it 3-1 to Dortmund before half-time. Reyna (58) and Haaland again (70) extended the hosts’ lead to unassailable proportions, with Frankfurt’s Hauge turning off the scoreboard at 5-2.
Bayern were held to a draw in Monchengladbach on Friday, in its first game under Julian Nagelsmann. RB Leipzig, who finished second in 2020-2021, lost 1-0 in Mainz. The results raised questions on the outcome of the new season. Rival fans hope to see a different champion after nine years of Bayern dominance. Bookies are not impressed with the many debate angles on the market.
A tenth consecutive Bayern triumph is at -600. Borussia Dortmund winning is at +700, with Leipzig behind, at +1600. Leverkusen is fourth, at +5000.
Robert Lewandowski is the favorite to win the Golden Boot, at -200. Haaland is second, at +400, with Andre Silva at +650. Wolfsburg’s Weghorst is at +3300.
