Haaland ends his scoring fast and revives Dortmund's Champions League hopes
Erling Haaland scored twice in four minutes to end his fast of scoring in seven matches in all competitions and lead Borussia Dortmund to a 4-1 win over Werder Bremen in the German Premier League on Sunday and revive his hopes for the semi-finals.
Dortmund, fifth in the standings with 49 points, reduced the lead to four points with Eintracht Frankfurt, fourth-placed who suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday, five rounds before the end.
The winners of the first four places qualify for the Champions League group stage directly.
Dortmund captain Marco Reus said, "After yesterday's results, we were determined to win because it is a tremendous opportunity to get close (to the semi-finals). We succeeded in doing that and we won today to reduce the difference. That was our main goal.
"We kept our cool despite being late, found space and played well. We got a second chance to qualify for the Champions League after yesterday's results," he added.
The Norwegian Haaland scored his first goal in the 34th minute from a penalty kick to give Dortmund the lead, who left the Champions League in the quarter-finals by losing to Manchester City in the middle of last week.
Bremen had taken the lead after 14 minutes through Melot Rachica before Giovanni Reina equalized in the 29th minute with a powerful shot.
Haaland, a 20-year-old who is likely to leave Dortmund if the team fails to finish the season in the semi-finals, added his 23rd goal in the league this season in the 38th minute to complete the Dortmund uprising with three goals in nine minutes.
Defender Mats Hummels ended the quadruple with a header in the 87th minute, causing Bremen to lose their fifth consecutive game, equaling his negative record and stopping his score at 30 points, four points ahead of the relegation zone.
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