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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Talking points from the Bundesliga weekend

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund v FC Cologne - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - January 24, 2020 Borussia Dortmund's Erling Braut Haaland celebrates in front of the fans after the match with Leonardo Balerdi REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler

Talking points from the Bundesliga weekend:

HAALAND RECORD

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Schalke 04 - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - January 25, 2020 Bayern Munich players celebrate after the match REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Netting twice in their 5-1 victory over Cologne, Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland took his tally to five goals in two games in the best Bundesliga start by a new player.

The Norwegian also set a record for scoring his five goals in a total playing time of just 56 minutes, with the previous record of 72 minutes set by Paco Alcacer, the Dortmund striker widely seen to be on his way out of the club.

"Five goals in two games. Erling cannot be stopped," said a beaming Dortmund coach Lucien Favre. "He constantly wants to train, to play. He is extremely committed. It is fantastic for a coach to have a player like that."

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v Schalke 04 - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - January 25, 2020 Bayern Munich interim coach Hansi Flick before the match REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BAYERN RUN

Champions Bayern Munich equalled the best start to a year (VfB Stuttgart 1991) with two wins and a 9-0 goal record following their 5-0 demolition of Schalke 04.

Eyeing an eighth straight league title, Bayern are a point behind leaders RB Leipzig and their fifth straight league win has boosted their hopes of extending their record title run.

"That's the team spirit I like," said interim coach Hansi Flick after five different players hit the target. "We have the quality to become champions."

WERDER WOES

Former champions Werder Bremen are now deep in relegation trouble after their 3-0 home loss to Hoffenheim sent the northern club into the relegation playoff spot, two points off the bottom.

Coach Florian Kohfeldt, hailed as Werder's saviour last season, must now find a way out of the crisis, despite injuries to half a dozen starters.

"We do not have the rhythm this season and maybe not the individual quality to win four, five games in a row. We just have to admit that to ourselves."

But he sounded confident his team would stay up.

"We will celebrate big in the end. This is a season where a lot has gone against us, both from outside and internally," he added.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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