Erling Haaland received a perfect ten due to his four goals as Borussia Dortmund eviscerated Hertha Berlin 5-2 at the Olympiastadion.
It was an excellent weekend for Borussia Dortmund, who capitalised on Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig’s dropped points to move up in the league table with a convincing 5-2 win over Hertha Berlin.
However, the Black and Yellows were far from the better side in the first half as the Hertha defence stood strong and even earned a shock lead just after the half-hour mark through Matheus Cunha from long-range. Dortmund, on the other hand, lacked penetration with the three attackers struggling to provide any sort of inspiration.
Things did improve in the second half, with Dortmund immediately restoring parity through Erling Haaland in the 47th minute. After that, it was pretty much an onslaught as the Norwegian international bagged a total of four goals before making way for Youssoufa Moukoko, who made history by becoming the youngest player in Bundesliga history.
Raphael Guerreiro scored the extra goal for the visitors and here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Borussia Dortmund players following their formidable win over the capital club.
Roman Burki: 6/10
Roman Burki was completely beaten by Cunha from range as Hertha found the opener in the 33rd minute against the run of play. Did not have too much to do aside from that, though he will be disappointed to have missed out on the clean sheet.
Emre Can: 8/10
Emre Can was by far the best defender for Borussia Dortmund in this game. The German made a host of solid tackles throughout the game and his leadership qualities played a key role in helping the team get back into the game in the second half. In fact, it was he who provided the assist for the Haaland equaliser.
GOAL! 1-1
?️ @emrecan_
⚽️ @ErlingHaaland#BSCBVB pic.twitter.com/YnOPbGWozp— Borussen ✍? (@BorussenEdits) November 21, 2020
Mats Hummels: 7/10
Mats Hummels had an average game in defence, where the ageing centre-back mostly got the better of Krzysztof Piatek. He was always on the lookout for a goal, which comes as no surprise given the fact that he has scored three goals in the last three matches.
Manuel Akanji: 6.5/10
Manuel Akanji offered decent support to his defensive teammates, ultimately helping Borussia Dortmund keep Hertha Berlin quiet for the most part of the game. He did, however, concede a late penalty that allowed the hosts to pull one back.
Thomas Meunier: 6.5/10
Thomas Meunier was a liability for Dortmund in the first half. His lack of ball progression and slow rotation made it difficult for Die Schwarzgelben to penetrate the Hertha backline. The Belgian also provided a series of crosses that found no one inside the box, though he did improve in the second half.
Axel Witsel: 6.5/10
Axel Witsel had a decent game in the middle of the park. He kept things neat and tidy despite failing to provide any positive ball-progression. The Belgian needs to be more direct in his game if he wants to make an impact.
Mahmoud Dahoud: 7/10
Mahmoud Dahoud was perhaps the best player in the first-half where Dortmund struggled a lot. He showed a lot of intent in midfield, looking to carry the ball across the final third and feeding some useful forward passes. Continued the tempo after the restart, making a series of smart movements in and around the attacking half.
Raphael Guerreiro: 7.5/10
Guerreiro looked uncharacteristically sloppy throughout the first-half but an improved display after the restart saw him completely dominate the game on the left flank. The Portuguese international was a constant attacking outlet for the Dortmund and he even scored his first goal of the campaign in the 70th minute, providing more gloss to the scoreline.
Marco Reus: 6.5/10
Marco Reus lacked sharpness once again in his game. The German international failed to provide any real edge for Dortmund in the first 45 minutes, though he did play a crucial in the build-up to the equaliser with a smart one-touch pass to Can. Improved from there on in, but the club captain is yet to showcase his true quality so far this season.
Erling Haaland: 10/10
It was just another day at the office for Haaland, who showed impeccable composure and determination to score four goals in the second half. The youngster’s pace and strength were simply too much for the likes of Omar Aldrete and Dedryck Boyata. Haaland has now scored ten goals in the Bundesliga so far, just one behind Robert Lewandowski.
Seen a beast yet?
Here's one..
Erling Haaland
20 years old
23 goals in 22 games
Top speed of almost 35km/h
4 goals in the bag tonightGolden boy for a reason ? #HejaBVB #BSCBVB pic.twitter.com/Nnbb8PVoC9
— Fola_Guerreiro?? (@folahan_jnr) November 21, 2020
Julian Brandt: 7/10
Julian Brandt looked out of touch in the first half, losing the ball on multiple occasions. However, the German international was a key asset to Dortmund’s second-half onslaught as he notably provided the assist for Haaland’s second goal of the night. The ex-Leverkusen star also combined well with Guerreiro and Dahoud, making life difficult for the opposition.
Substitutes
Jude Bellingham: 7.5/10
Jude Bellingham made a visible impact on the proceedings after initially coming on for Dahoud around the hour-mark. He provided energy in the middle of the park while delivering a timed through pass to set up Haaland’s fourth goal of the night. An impactful performance from the young Englishman.
Lukasz Piszczek: 6/10
Replaced Can during the final phase of the game in what was a bizarre substitution. Borussia Dortmund conceded soon after his introduction, although it wasn’t really his fault.
Giovanni Reyna: 6/10
Giovanni Reyna came on for Reus in the 77th minute. The young attacking midfielder tried to make an impact on the proceedings, but failed to do so as Dortmund had very little possession during the final phase of the game.
Nico Schulz: N/A
Made his return to the pitch after replacing Guerreiro in the 85th minute. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Youssoufa Moukoko: N/A
Made history by becoming the youngest player in Bundesliga history when he replaced Haaland with just five minutes remaining on the clock. Looked lively, but did not play enough to warrant a rating.
