Sports

Batshuayi makes dream debut

February 03, 2018

BERLIN — New signing Michy Batshuayi enjoyed a dream debut at Borussia Dortmund, scoring twice Friday as his club edged Cologne 3-2 to move into second place in the Bundesliga.

Andre Schuerrle made sure of Dortmund’s first league win of the year with an 84th minute winner after Cologne twice had come back from a goal down. Dortmund is second on 34 points, ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke 04 on goal difference.

Batshuayi arrived Wednesday on loan from Chelsea to plug the gap left by the departure of last season’s Bundesliga top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal in the Premier League.

Dortmund coach Peter Stoeger, returning to Cologne only 61 days after his sacking, gave the 20-year-old Belgium international his first start and the player paid him back when he scored in the 35th minute for the lead.

Cologne leveled on the hour when Roman Buerki cleared a shot and Simon Zoller nodded in on the rebound but Batshuayi responded only two minute later, pouncing on a defensive error to slot in.

Bottom club Cologne refused to give up and thought they had done enough to earn a point with Jorge Mere’s 70th minute header before Schuerrle unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner six minutes from time to earn Dortmund its first three points of 2018.

Thauvin hits hat trick

Florian Thauvin took his season’s league goal tally to 13 with a hat trick as Marseille enjoyed a 6-3 rout of rock-bottom Metz in French Ligue 1 Friday.

The win moved Marseille into second place in the table, eight points behind bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain. — Agencies


February 03, 2018
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