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Erling Haaland displayed his pace and power against Bayern Munich, but his final ball was lacking – unlike Robert Lewandowski’s.
Erling Haaland has admitted he must be more clinical in front of goal despite scoring in Borussia Dortmund’s Klassiker defeat to Bayern Munich.
Dortmund went down 3-2 to the Bundesliga champions at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, with Haaland netting the final goal of the game – his sixth of the season in the league.
But the 20-year-old might have struck long before that late effort in a wasteful display, missing the target with his prior three shots.
“I have to score more goals,” he said. “If we don’t put our chances away at this level, then we won’t win.”
It was Haaland’s decision-making that was as much a problem as his profligacy.
While the Norway international attempted four shots, missing one of his two big chances, he also passed up a host of opportunities by mistiming a run or misplacing a pass.
Haaland was caught offside on three occasions, having been flagged only twice across his prior five games this term combined.
Despite repeatedly looking for a team-mate when a shot might have been on, the ex-Salzburg striker also played fewer passes into the final third (seven) than he had in previous matches. Just 42.9 per cent of these balls were completed – another season low.
This inaccuracy meant, for the first time in the Bundesliga this season, Haaland failed to create a chance, unable to add to his tally of two assists.
“[Bayern] are the best team in the world and we have to work harder to take the next step to be as good as them,” Haaland said.
Taking heed of the opposition, he will surely look to emulate Bayern’s ex-Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski, who showed his class once again.
The Poland star scored with one of his two shots, had two more efforts disallowed for marginal offside calls – the only occasions on which he was flagged – and created Bayern’s third goal for Leroy Sane.
It was the sort of display Haaland has shown he can similarly produce – just not yet in the biggest game in German club football.
Dortmund Dortmund will look to regroup during the international break, before hitting the ground running when they face Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on November 21.
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