Julian Brandt was one of the goalscorers in Borussia Dortmund’s crazy 3-5 win away to FC Augsburg on Saturday.
“It’s always easier to find words after a win than after a loss,” the 23-year-old told BVB.tv after the game, adding: “This game was absolutely insane.”
Whoscored.com’s metrics had forecasted that Dortmund winning from behind was likely but nobody could foresee Erling Haaland’s hat-trick within 23 minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute. Until then, the Black and Yellows struggled severely.
After Dortmund several chances at the one end, Augsburg forward Florian Niederlechner punished the guests for a mistake in their buildup at the other end in the 34th minute. Midfielder Marco Richter doubled the hosts’s lead at the start of the second half with a strike from distance that took goalkeeper Roman Bürki by surprise.
“Generally, we know about our attacking capability so we know that we can score anytime but mentally it’s always hard to digest when you concede a goal just 15 seconds into the second half, come back and then concede the temporary 3-1,” Brandt, who scored an impressive goal on the turn in the 49th minute for the temporary 2-1, explained after the game.
He said: “It was tough but we’re in this business long enough to be able to deal with these blows — even if we don’t always manage to come back but in general, we have that capability.”
The pendulum of the match swung heavily into BVB’s favour after Lucien Favre brought on the €20m signing. Haaland scored his first goal just three minutes into his debut in the 59th minute.
“The 2-3 was very important for us. I think the goals came in quick succession afterwards because it really lifted us up. To me, that was the turning point in the game. We also reduced our cheap giveaways that led to counterattacks and ultimately to [Augsburg’s] goals later in the game,” Brandt testified and heaped further praise on his new Norwegian teammate.
“I mean, if you’re getting subbed on at 19 years old and you’re an immediate help — this wasn’t just some old friendly game but a damn important Bundesliga game and these three goals were vital for us — then that’s pure class,” he said.
“Weak start, but outstanding finish by the entire team. But it should also be fun,” the midfielder tweeted after the game while congratulating Haaland for his “brutal debut.”
Borussia Dortmund will try to take their Haaland-induced momentum into the Friday Night Game against 1. FC Köln at the Westfalenstadion.
