Haaland's Heroics Earn Dortmund a First-Leg Win Against PSG
By: Wayne
Borussia Dortmund took on Paris Saint-Germain in their first knockout stage Champions League action on Tuesday. Dortmund had produced several quality opportunities in the first half but failed to find the back of the net. Their reliance on their young talent was starting to provide more questions than answers as Jadon Sancho and Thorgan Hazard struggled to make an impact against one of the best teams they had played all season. Marco Reus's absence due to injury wasn't helping matters either, as the team clearly missed his veteran presence and creativity in attack. Suddenly, a critical home tie which provided an opportunity for Dortmund to assert themselves in the UCL was in danger of slipping away.
Enter Erling Braut Haaland. The kid has fucking arrived. He had our attention with his 28 goals in 22 games for RB Salzburg - but that was against Austrian league opposition. How would he fare in the Bundesliga? His 7 goals in his first 3 Bundesliga games did more than justify his 20 million Euro transfer fee. Those questioning his ability in higher-level competition instantly looked silly for ever questioning the lad. Haaland's counter-attacking speed and vision, ball placement on shots, and physicality at age 19 have shined through as he has scored and scored and scored some more for Dortmund.
With the game starting to drag heading into the 70th minute, a flurry of action near the PSG goal resulted in the ball reaching Haaland's right foot right in front of the net. If you thought he was going to do anything but drill that effort into the net, you hadn't watched him play at all, ever. His goal gace Dortmund a 1-0 lead, but PSG quickly recanted that effort with a Neymar goal in the 75th minute. Suddenly, a win for Dortmund had turned into an ugly draw with PSG earning an away goal.
But Haaland wouldn't have it. The kid raged forward on a counter-attacking break, ending up with the ball at the edge of the box with 3 PSG defenders trailing him and Keylor Navas waiting in the net. It didn't matter - not even Philip Lahm in his prime would have caught up with Haaland on that play. He calmly played it over to his left (dominant) foot and just drilled it into the upper left corner of the net. The ball bounced off the back netting and back into the field of play, just showing how powerful of a shot it was. Not a chance in hell Navas was getting there. Here's a video showing Haaland's highlights from the game, including this screamer of a goal:
What has really impressed me about the 19-year-old Norwegian, aside from his obviously elite shooting ability, is his comfort and ingenuity in hold-up play. Having the ability to hold the ball and craft passes to trailing teammates during a counter-attacking chance is something that usually takes time for young strikers to develop. There's a certain level of experience that is typically required to be good in this aspect of the game, and yet, Haaland is such a natural in build-up play. He seems to make the right play far more often than not and always has a cool head about him. His futbol IQ is years ahead of what his age would suggest and he usually has a really strong understanding of where his teammates are on the pitch and how to best utilize them through passes to generate strong opportunities.
Haaland would have been excused for having a little bit of "deer in the headlights" going on Tuesday night, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Every question Dortmund has asked of him has been answered with conviction and impressive class as he has scored 11 goals in 7 competitions for his new team. The young striker has scored more Champions League goals than the entire team of FC Barcelona if that weren't enough.
At a certain point in sports, you realize what you are watching is unlike anything you have ever seen before. I have had that feeling about Erling Haaland for a little while now, but it was only crystalized on Tuesday night. With his team desperately needing a spark, he delivered yet again with 2 goals as he has done all season long. When he became the first teenager to score in 5 consecutive Champions League matches or the second teenager to score 10+ goals in the UCL, I felt the gravity of the uniqueness of his rapid rise to stardom. But it wasn't until I watched him for a full 90 minutes in one of the toughest atmospheres he had ever played in that the vision of him as a world-class talent was realized for me. Sure, he's only 19, but calling him anything but one of the very best strikers in the world at the moment feels wrong. I'm thrilled to see what the future holds for Haaland as he continues to develop his game, and it doesn't seem out of the question that he could be the next galacticos at a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona. Welcome to the Haaland show - I hope you like watching a buttload of goals and moments of individual brilliance. He's here to stay.
