Haaland returns to send Dortmund top, Freiburg draw on big day

Erling Haaland returned from injury to bag a brace as Borussia Dortmund went top of the Bundesliga with a 3-1 win over Mainz on Saturday while fellow high-flyers Freiburg inaugurated their new stadium with a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig.

Haaland smashed in a penalty after a stunning early goal from captain Marco Reus set the tone against midtable Mainz. Jonathan Burkardt gave the visitors late hope but Haaland settled matters in injury-time with his ninth of the season.

Dortmund are two points clear of champions Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, who meet in a Sunday thriller.

Freiburg, fourth on goal difference, could have joined Dortmund on their league-best 18 points but were held by last year's runners-up Leipzig in the first game held at the Europa-Park Stadium.

Union Berlin beat Wolfsburg 2-0 to go fifth, Hertha Berlin took a much-needed win 2-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt and Bochum won 1-0 at fellow promoted side Greuther Fuerth to exit the bottom three.

And in the late game Borussia Moenchengladbach were held 1-1 by a VfB Stuttgart side missing several players due to injury and a coronavirus outbreak.

Dortmund needed only three minutes to opener the scoring against Maniz when Stefan Bell deflected a cross to Reus at the edge of the box.

Though on his weaker left foot, Reus made the perfect connection to rifle his shot high into the top corner.

The home side's dominance was not rewarded with another goal until the 54th minute when video review deemed Silvan Widmer handled into the box.

Haaland's penalty was not entirely convincing but found the net to mark his return from a thigh injury which had kept him out since the middle of last month.

"We missed him," Reus told Sky about the 21-year-old Norwegian star. "Simply because he's there he's important for us as he always takes up two players.

"And scoring two goals in the comeback is great."

Burkhardt poked in three minutes from time to set up an exiting finale but Haaland converted after Jude Bellingham won the ball deep in the Maniz half to seal a merited win.

Haaland tweeted post-match: "3 points and happy to be back!"

Coach Marco Rose, looking ahead to Dortmund's Champions League match with Ajax this midweek, admitted "it would have been very good if we could have taken him off. But he can always score a goal in the 95th minute which can help."

Emil Forsberg, with a penalty, had the honour of scoring the first goal at Freiburg's new stadium but a stirring home comeback earned a point after the break.

Jeong Woo Yeong glanced in a free header to keep Freiburg the only unbeaten side in the Bundesliga even if late pressure could not find the second goal needed to keep pace with Dortmund.

Nicolas Hoefler went closest to the winner but Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi touched his last-minute shot onto the post.

"The team had a great game against such a strong opponent in the second half," said Freiburg coach Christian Streich. "That's why the crowd was also impressed."

Hoffenheim thrashed Cologne 5-0 on Friday while Augsburg v Arminia Bielefeld concludes the round on Sunday.