'He’s a machine' - Dortmund's Haaland strikes at the death

Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Hoffenheim, Westfalenstadion
(Reyna 49', Bellingham 69', Haaland 90'+1 – Baumgartner 61', Dabbur 90')

These may be early days in the Marco Rose era, but everything about this riproaring performance was classic Dortmund. Slipshod defending, callous finishing, and unbridled celebrations in front of the Südtribüne – they wouldn't have it any other way.

The star of the show was Jude Bellingham, with a goal and an assist. But even the impressive young Englishman, usually not short of a word or two, couldn't put into words the performance of the matchwinner Erling Haaland.

"He's a machine,” Bellingham told DAZN after the game about Haaland. "I haven't got enough words to describe how good he is. He deserves everything he gets.”

The Norwegian striker fired a blank during the defeat at Freiburg last weekend and had endured another frustrating night here against Hoffenheim. Dortmund were disjointed in attack and the only chances that came his way were the result of his own ingenuity.

But Haaland finally got a sniff in the 91st minute, pouncing from close range after Oliver Baumann, the Hoffenheim goalkeeper, had done all he could to keep out Youssoufa Moukoko's initial effort. Realising he'd probably scored the winner, Haaland let loose with a magnificently bizarre celebration in front of Südtribüne, his arms flailing as if independent of his body.

Disjointed Dortmund paper the cracks

If Dortmund are going to make an impression in the Bundesliga season, their teenage talent are going to be crucial. Bellingham ended the game with a goal and assist after Gio Reyna had fired Dortmund ahead. Both goals were beautifully taken by two players still only 18.

Dortmund needed this win, especially with an international break about to commence. The joy of their 5-2 splattering of Eintracht Frankfurt on the opening day had quickly faded away after defeats by Bayern Munich in the Super Cup and an insipid defeat at Freiburg last weekend.

In each of those games, Rose had struggled to find a way to extract the best of Haaland or indeed any of Dortmund's attackers. While that problem hasn't gone away, with Dortmund seemingly struggling for ideas without Jadon Sancho, there are some signs that Rose's methods are starting to cut through.

While Haaland, Bellingham and Reyna were Dortmund's matchwinners, this was another quietly assured performance by their young goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The man signed from Stuttgart this summer is only 23 and made two crucial saves from the man at the apex of Hoffenheim‘s formation, Andrej Kramaric. Having struggled to adequately replace Roman Weidenfeller since 2018, Dortmund may have found their man in Kobel.

Dortmund needed him because they seem to relish the challenge of making life difficult for themselves. Kramaric's first big chance - a one-on-one with Kobel — was the result of Marco Reus and Mahmoud Dahoud running into each other. And Hoffenheim's opener came directly from Raphael Gueirrero sleepwalking into the abyss to allow Christoph Baumgartner to fire into the bottom corner. Dortmund's lack of discipline makes for great games, but also for Rose's sleepless nights.

For a team that seem insistent on being flawed, Dortmund at least know they have one of the very best in the business in Haaland. And with PSG sniffing around, this was a timely reminder of how much Dortmund need him.