Borussia Dortmund had to suffer and sweat to get all 3 points at Hoffenheim. And it did so without Haaland, the Norwegian striker watched the first hour of the match from the bench.
Lucien Favre, coach of the German team, was questioned in a press conference about his reasoning behind subbing Haaland.
"I couldn't let Haaland play four games in a row because he had already played three games for Norway," he said, referring to his international commitments against Serbia, including extra time, Romania and Northern Ireland. And just before the week of the Champions League debut against Lazio.
"He played 120, 80 and 85 minutes in each game. Therefore, he had a break and was a substitute against Hoffenheim," explained the coach.
Finally, Haaland came on in 64' and actively collaborated in the victory, as the Norwegian assisted Reus (76') in the only goal of the match.