Tag: Erling Haaland

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BUNDESLIGA: HAALAND SCORES ON FINAL APPEARANCE FOR BORRUSIA DORTMUND

Erling Haaland scored a penalty on his final appearance for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin, who face a play-off to stay in the Bundesliga.

The visitors took the lead at Signal Iduna Park through a spot-kick from Ishak Belfodil in the 18th minute.

Haaland – set to head to the Premier League next season after Manchester City triggered his £51.1million release clause – had Dortmund level from a penalty with 20 minutes left.

Jude Bellingham then played in Youssoufa Moukoko to slot home from a tight angle in the 84th minute – which coupled with a late winner for Stuttgart sent Felix Magath’s side into the relegation play-offs.

Stuttgart had started the day in 16th place and looked set to stay there after Anthony Modeste had headed in equaliser for Cologne on the hour to cancel out Sasa Kalajdzic’s early opener.

However, in stoppage time, Wataru Endo nodded in a from a corner to spark pandemonium around the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

RB Leipzig secured fourth spot and with it a place in the Champions League after a late goal from defender Willi Orban salvaged a 1-1 draw at relegated Arminia Bielefeld.

Janni Serra had bundled the home side in front with 20 minutes left, which had looked enough to sign off from the top flight with a win – only for Orban to nod home a stoppage-time equaliser from a free-kick.

Robert Lewandowski, who has been linked with a summer move away, took his Bundesliga goal tally to 35 as champions Bayern Munich ended the campaign with a 2-2 draw at Wolfsburg – where they had been 2-0 up at half-time.

Union Berlin beat Bochum 3-2, with Taiwo Awoniyi scoring twice, to finish in fifth place, a point behind Leipzig, and go into the Europa League.

A last-minute goal from Exequiel Palacios saw third-placed Bayer Leverkusen end the campaign with a 2-1 home win over Freiburg, who finish sixth.

Marcus Ingvartsen scored twice as Mainz held Europa League finalists Eintracht Frankfurt to a 2-2 draw, while bottom club Greuther Furth went down 2-1 at Augsburg, where Michael Gregoritsch struck a late winner.

Jonas Hofmann grabbed a brace to help Borussia Monchengladbach come from behind to sweep aside Hoffenheim 5-1.

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Raiola opens door for Barcelona but striker could stay at Dortmund

Erling Haaland could still stay at Borussia Dortmund but “can wait for anybody” amid demand from Europe’s top clubs, including Barcelona, according to the player’s agent Mino Raiola.

Haaland signed for Dortmund from Salzburg after the Bundesliga side met his €20million release clause in December 2019 and has dominated the German top flight since his arrival.

The Norway international became the quickest player to 50 goals in the Bundesliga when he reached the milestone in his 50th appearance, and the youngest to do so at just 21, while only Robert Lewandowski (58) has scored more goals than Haaland (43) across all competitions in Europe’s top-five leagues in 2021.

Haaland has also scored 30 Bundesliga goals this calendar year – a new Dortmund record, surpassing Lothar Emmerich (29 goals in 1966) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29 goals in 2015).

The 21-year-old is reported to have a €75million buy-out clause that will kick in at the end of the season, putting Europe’s elite on high alert.

Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke expressed his belief on Sunday that Haaland should stay and Raiola has refused to rule that possibility out, though he did speculate on a potential move to Barcelona, whose financial issues may well mean a move has to be delayed.

“Could Haaland wait for Barcelona? He can wait for anybody,” Raiola said to NOS. “We don’t have a pre-agreement with any club.

“We’ll look for the best option for him and I can’t rule out another year at Dortmund. Theoretically, that’s still possible.”

Barca are undergoing a difficult period under new head coach Xavi. They sit seventh in LaLiga and are already out of the Champions League, after the departure of Blaugrana legend Lionel Messi following the club’s well-publicised financial difficulties.

Raiola, however, believes Barca will soon be back.

“Barcelona will always be one of the world’s biggest clubs,” Raiola added. “Even despite their current situation.

“In a year or two they’ll be back. They have the power to find great economic agreements. They’ll only need a year or two to get back.”

Haaland has 13 goals in 11 Bundesliga appearances this term, while his tally increases to 19 across all competitions.

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Barca ditch Pogba swoop to target Haaland

Barcelona will prioritise a move for Erling Haaland over their pursuit of Paul Pogba.

Haaland, 21, is set to be the subject of an intense battle between some of Europe’s top clubs with Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid all interested in the striker.

New Barca manager Xavi is desperate to add a goalscorer to his ranks following Sergio Aguero’s early retirement and Haaland more than fits the bill.

The Borussia Dortmund No9 has a sublime record of 76 strikes in 74 games since joining the Bundesliga outfit in January 2020.

And Spanish outlet Sport claim Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola has recently met with Barca president Joan Laporta over a move.

The Catalan club are likely to struggle to finance the deal as they continue to grapple with the heavy debt that has seen them forced to offload stars and rely on free transfers.

Haaland’s fee is reported to be upwards of £60million, with high agent fees and salary demands also a major obstacle.

But a reported big-money loan from investment banking firms Goldman Sachs and CVC could help the club get back on their feet, with a percentage of those funds set to go on improving the squad.

A move for Haaland is likely to end the Blaugrana’s interest in out-of-contract Manchester United midfielder Pogba.

Camp Nou chiefs are said to be wary of taking on the heavy wage demands of the Frenchman, who is looking more and more likely to depart Old Trafford next summer.

There is also the concern that Pogba does is not the ideal fit for the tactical philosophy Xavi is looking to instill at the club.

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Haaland not guaranteed to leave Dortmund in 2022

Mino Raiola has moved to clarify comments he made this week regarding Erling Haaland’s future, insisting it is not a foregone conclusion that the striker will leave Borussia Dortmund next year. 

Haaland, who has scored 51 Bundesliga goals in 52 appearances since making his Dortmund bow last year, is already one of the world’s leading goalscorers.

Among players in Europe’s top five leagues, only Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski (100) has scored more goals than Haaland (74) across all competitions since January 18, 2020, when he first played for BVB.

The 21-year-old is rumoured to be a target for Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and the two Manchester clubs, with reports suggesting he has a €75million buy-out clause that will kick in at the end of the season.

Dortmund’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has described those claims as “rumour” and would not confirm the clause.

In an interview with Sport1 published on Thursday, Raiola claimed: “We have been thinking about his future for two years. We have clear ideas about where he should go and, of course, we look at what the market will offer. 

“With a player like him, we can influence the market, we will not be influenced.

“I changed the transfer market and today we agents have created a new game alongside football: the transfer market. Today two days a week we talk about football, in the other five about the transfer market.”

A second part of the interview, published on Friday, had Raiola naming four clubs – Bayern, Madrid, Barca and Manchester City – as the only teams that could afford to buy the Norway international.

However, Raiola on Saturday issued a statement aiming to clear up his quotes.

“I want to clarify the following about the Sport1 interview,” a post on his official Twitter account read.

“The four clubs I mentioned about Haaland’s future were just an example to say that, when he leaves, he will go to one of the top 15 European clubs.”

Raiola also stressed Haaland may well stay at Dortmund for another season.

“Now Erling’s focus is solely on football, there are no negotiations with any club,” Raiola’s statement continued.

“And I reaffirm what I said – it’s not a sure thing he will leave this summer [2022 off-season], maybe it will be the one after that.”

Haaland, who has only recently returned from injury, could not help Dortmund to victory against Bochum on Saturday, with Julian Brandt rescuing a 1-1 draw for Marco Rose’s team, who are six points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern.

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Real boost for City and Chelsea in Haaland race

Manchester City and Chelsea have been handed a huge boost in the race to sign Erling Haaland.

Spanish giants Real Madrid have reportedly accepted the Norwegian is destined to move to the Premier League.

Haaland, 21, has a £64million release clause that comes into play at the end of the season.

And with Europe’s biggest clubs all interested in signing him, Borussia Dortmund expect to lose their star striker.

But The Sun say the feeling at the Bernabeu is Haaland will likely end up playing English football.

Real are clear favourites to sign Kylian Mbappe on a free when his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires next year. 

But their dream of pairing the two hottest young stars in football alongside each other in the Spanish capital appears to be over.

And that will be music to the ears of the bigwigs at the Etihad, Stamford Bridge and maybe even Old Trafford.

Like City and Chelsea, Manchester United have previously been linked with a move for Haaland.

Pep Guardiola heaped praise on the forward before the Citizens faced Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.

He said: “To score that number of goals at his age is not easy. The numbers speak for themselves.

“When that happens it’s because he can score with the right, the left, via counter-attacks, in the box. He’s a fantastic striker, everyone knows it.”

Haaland has 13 goals in 10 games this season but has missed time with injuries and is expected to remain on the sidelines until next month, 

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HAALAND HITS BRACE AS DORTMUND THRASH UNION BERLIN

Erling Haaland scored twice, including a spectacular lob, to guide Borussia Dortmund to a 4-2 victory over Union Berlin on Sunday which lifted them to second in the Bundesliga.

Norwegian Haaland has now scored seven times in the league this season while taking his total tally to an impressive 68 goals in 67 games in all competitions for Dortmund.

The visitors had the first good chance in the first minute but Dortmund quickly took control with Raphael Guerreiro firing them in front after a lightning-quick passing move that left the Union defence frozen in the 10th minute.

With Dortmund’s Donyell Malen wreaking havoc with his speed down the wing, it was only a matter of time until they added to their score line. But it was Union who did it for them when defender Marvin Friedrich’s clumsy clearance of a Marco Reus cutback landed in his own net in the 52nd.

“We made it today again unnecessarily difficult for us,” said Dortmund captain Reus. “We are 3-0 up, concede a silly goal then one from a set piece. The fourth or fifth time this season.

“You invest an enormous amount and we just can’t gift away goals like that. We have to quickly start working on that. But we are happy to have won the game.”

Max Kruse’s penalty five minutes later cut the deficit and Andreas Voglsammer’s 81st minute header gave Union hope briefly before Haaland latched onto a deep Mat Hummels cross, saw keeper Andreas Luthe off his line and lobbed the ball high over him to restore order with a remarkable finish.

Dortmund’s third league win in a row lifted them to 12 points, one behind Bayern Munich. The leaders thrashed VfL Bochum 7-0 on Saturday.

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Manchester United in pole position to sign Erling Braut Haaland next summer

Manchester United are reportedly at the head of the queue for Erling Braut Haaland‘s signature in the summer of 2022.

The Norwegian starlet seems set to remain at Borussia Dortmund for the 2021-22 season, with Chelsea understood to have had a proposal turned down while the Black and Yellow can afford to play hardball over a fee.

However, Haaland’s £68m release clause will be active by the time the next summer window rolls around, and an intense battle for his services is set to commence at the end of this season.

According to Bild, Haaland will “definitely” be on his way out of Dortmund after the current campaign, and United are in pole position to sign the former Red Bull Salzburg man.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was tipped to bring his compatriot to Old Trafford earlier in the summer, but Edinson Cavani’s contract extension allowed United to prioritise other areas in the transfer window.

Haaland has already claimed five goals and three assists from four appearances in all competitions this season, taking his total tally in Dortmund colours to 62 goals and 18 assists from 63 games.

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HAALAND NETS BRACE AS DORTMUND DEMOLISH FRANKFURT IN BUNDESLIGA OPENER

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland scored twice and set up another three goals as the hosts steamrolled past Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 on Saturday to put down a marker in their Bundesliga opener.

It was captain Marco Reus who put new coach Marco Rose’s team in the driving seat in the 23rd minute, scoring from a Haaland assist, with Dortmund fans returning in limited numbers to the 81,000-capacity stadium

A Felix Passlack own goal four minutes later did nothing to slow them down as Thorgan Hazard rifled them back into the lead in the 32nd after Reus combined with the 21-year-old Haaland, who had scored a hat-trick in their German Cup first round win last week, for yet another counter attack.

The hosts, who face champions Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on Tuesday, completed their first half goal rush with Haaland pouncing on a Stefan Ilsanker mistake to charge into the box and slot in for a two-goal lead in the 34th.

Gio Reyna added a fourth goal with a tap-in on the hour with Eintracht at the complete mercy of the bursting Dortmund runs that kept on coming. Another Haaland run earned him his second goal of the evening following a VAR review.

Fellow Norwegian Jens Petter Hauge scored late on his Bundesliga debut to somewhat improve the scoreline for Frankfurt. Bayern slipped up on their season opener on Friday with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Monchengladbach.

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Chelsea prepared to bid £150m for Erling Haaland

Chelsea are reportedly prepared to tempt Borussia Dortmund with a £150m bid for Erling Braut Haaland.

The Blues have been heavily linked with a move for the Norway international since winning their second Champions League trophy in May.

Dortmund are allegedly keen to retain the services of the 20-year-old for at least one more season, despite the prospect of losing their most prized asset for a much lower fee next year.

However, according to 90 min, Chelsea believe that an offer of £150m will be enough to agree a transfer during the summer window.

The report adds that discussions have already been held with Haaland’s representatives, where it was determined that personal terms would not be a stumbling block.

While Real Madrid are also said to be keen on the frontman, they are not in a position to meet the player’s asking price in 2021.

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HAALAND, SANCHO BAGS BRACE AS DORTMUND WINS GERMAN CUP FINAL

Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland both netted twice Thursday as Borussia Dortmund won the German Cup with an emphatic 4-1 win over RB Leipzig to spoil Julian Nagelsmann’s hopes of leaving with a title.

Dortmund turned on the style at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, converting all of their three first-half shots on target to sweep Leipzig aside as Sancho netted twice either side of a superb Haaland goal.

“I am very happy that I could score two goals and set up one for Haaland,” Sancho told ARD.

The England winger could have claimed a hat-trick late on after rounding Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, but failed to get his shot away.

“I don’t know what happened, I am sure I am going to look back on this game and regret not getting my hat-trick,” Sancho admitted.

“Next time I will shoot first – sorry Dortmund fans.”

Spain midfielder Dani Olmo pulled a goal back for Leipzig, before Haaland grabbed his second in the dying stages despite slipping as he connected.

Dortmund lifted the German Cup for the fifth time in the club’s history.

“It’s unbelievable, I am proud of the morale the team has shown in the last few weeks,” said captain Marco Reus as Dortmund have also recently got back into the Bundesliga’s Champions League places.

Defeat in Berlin dashed Nagelsmann’s hopes of winning the first senior title of his coaching career before leaving after two years coaching RB Leipzig to take the helm at Bayern Munich next season.

RB Leipzig, who were only founded in 2009, are also waiting for a first major title having also lost the 2019 German Cup final to Bayern.

“I’m proud of the team, but it’s not good to lose a final,” admitted Nagelsmann.

“We were a bit too passive in our own box and we had to much to do at 3-0 down.”

Haaland returned to the Dortmund line-up after a leg injury kept him out of the two previous games, including Saturday’s 3-2 home win over Leipzig in a dress rehearsal for the final.

Sancho, who also scored twice on Saturday, put Dortmund ahead with just five minutes gone.

After Dortmund captain Marco Reus robbed Kevin Kampl of possession, the ball was worked to the edge of the area, where Sancho curled his shot around Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Dortmund converted their second shot on goal when Haaland made it 2-0 on 28 minutes.

He sprinted onto Reus’ pass, beat Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano, who will follow Nagelsmann to Bayern next season, and curled his shot around Gulacsi.

It took Leipzig until seven minutes before half-time to create a clear chance when Haaland’s Norway team-mate Alexander Sorloth fired into the side netting.

Sancho grabbed his second just before the half-time whistle when he tapped into an empty net from Reus’ pass after Dortmund opened Leipzig’s defence before the VAR confirmed there was no offside.

Leipzig were much improved in the second-half.

With his side 3-0 down at half-time, Nagelsmann swapped both forwards with Sorloth and South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan for Yussuf Poulsen and Christopher Nkunku, who made an immediate impact.

Just 25 seconds after the break, Nkunku’s chip clipped Dortmund’s crossbar from Amadou Haidara’s cross while Poulsen fired two chances wide.

At the other end, Thorgan Hazard, a half-time replacement for Jude Bellingham, squandered a chance to make it 4-0 with the goal at his mercy with an hour gone.

Olmo pulled a goal back on 71 minutes when he slotted home from the edge of the area.

Sancho squandered a late chance to claim his hat-trick when he waited a fraction too long after rounding Gulacsi and scuffed his shot before Haaland netted his second to send the title to Dortmund.