Marco Reus netted his 150th career Bundesliga goal, as Borussia Dortmund revived their title bid in style, producing an imperious display to ruthlessly thump six past FC Cologne at Signal Iduna Park.
Having put his side ahead in the derby last weekend, Raphaël Guerreiro made the most of Donyell Malen’s irresistible skill, latching onto the Dutchman’s searching ball and poking a smart finish past Marvin Schwäbe.
Jude Bellingham fed Marco Reus, who combined with Guerreiro and finally Sébastien Haller, who smashed into the top corner with Cologne defenders all at sea.
Malen’s shot was well saved by Schwäbe, but the attack was quickly recycled by Guerreiro, culminating in an emphatic curled shot from Reus finding the upper echelons of the black-and-yellow striped net.
The tactical change put Dortmund in assured control of the game and the famous ‘Gelbe Wand’ were soon treated to more.
Mahmoud Dahoud’s whipped free kick curled against the crossbar and fell kindly for Haller, whose second was a considerably easier finish than the first.
Die Borussen had developed a penchant for quick-fire doubles, and another was in the offing, as Malen fought off Eric Martel and played through Reus.
A frantic spell at the end of the game resulted in both sides hitting the woodwork within 30 seconds, but Dortmund cruised to the 6-1 victory, and in doing so made a big statement to Bayern Munich as to their intentions in what is shaping up to be a heated title race.
