Yes, 14 other Borussia Dortmund players also played in this win in Wolfsburg.

But after the final whistle, someone was standing all alone in front of the fan curve: Erling Haaland.

Even an hour and a half later, people with BVB scarves were still waiting in front of the stadium: Erling Haaland.

And the big encourager before the top game against Bayern Munich next Saturday is again: Erling Haaland.

Even the Bundesliga comeback of the Norwegian, who is still only 21 years old, came much faster than expected in this Dortmund 3-1 (1-1) win at VfL Wolfsburg.

With his first goal after a stubborn hip flexor injury, Haaland took a lot less time on Saturday.

In the 72nd minute he came on, in the 73rd he had his first chance, in the 80th he used a cross from Julian Brandt by direct pick-up.

This striker is a phenomenon.

Or as BVB coach Marco Rose put it: "Erling is a player that makes a difference." The term is pretty good.

Because what difference it makes whether Haaland is on the field at Borussia or not, was easy to see in the almost one and a half months of his absence.

With him, the Dortmund team started the new Champions League season as one of the most exciting teams in Europe.

Without him, the preliminary round was already clear after the fifth of six group games last Wednesday.

Without him, the mood after the 1: 3 at Sporting Lisbon was very tense and critical.

With him you suddenly dare to do something in the Bundesliga classic against the unusually ailing Bayern next Saturday (6.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky).

"Erling is a weapon"

"We have to get better to actually be up there in May," said Rose.

“But we want to tackle the game against Bayern Munich as a top game in front of our fans: with a lot of self-confidence and a lot of courage.

It's a classic, everyone is looking forward to it. "

Because the 45-year-old wanted to hold onto one more thing after the win in Wolfsburg: “At the end of the day, the only setbacks were in the Champions League group stage. That worries us, that annoys us very much. But if you look at the table otherwise, we've already done a lot right this year. ”The statistics prove him right. 10 wins in the first 13 Bundesliga games of a season are a record that has only been surpassed by one team in the history of the Dortmund Bundesliga: Jürgen Klopp's championship team from 2010/11. And in BVB's history this is the benchmark for so many things: sporting success, emotionality, identification.

Rose addressed exactly such points after the great disappointment in the Champions League, as he revealed three days later in Wolfsburg.

Consistency, uncompromising attitude, “spirit as a team”: that's what it's always about in the end.

And his predecessors from Peter Bosz to Lucien Favre were already struggling with this in Dortmund.

Haaland alone cannot remedy these deficits.

But it already balances out a lot.

"Erling is a weapon," said Julian Brandt.

“He gives us energy.

When he comes in, the spectators are there immediately, which also affects the team.

You have noticed in the last few weeks that we have missed him. "

And the returned striker also showed a sense of humor.

After his curious jubilation, he took the middle finger of a less than enthusiastic VfL supporter in the audience - the video of it became an internet hit.

After his goal to make it 3-1, the striker knelt in front of the Wolfsburg curve and pointed his index finger at the grandstand filled with VfL fans.

The spectator let herself be provoked and answered the striker with her middle finger.

Several Internet users enjoyed a short video of the action.

Haaland reacted in a relaxed manner to the short message service Twitter: “That's why we love football.” He provided the tweet with two tearful smileys and a heart.