Bundesliga: Haaland scores twice on return to send Dortmund top of the table

Erling Haaland scored twice on his return from injury in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Mainz, as the Bundesliga restarts after the international break.

The win extends Dortmund's winning streak at Signal Iduna Park to nine games, while ensuring that they are the only team in the league to still have a perfect record at home.

Captain Marco Reus continued his impressive run of form by putting Mainz on the back foot straight away with a thunderous volley from the edge of the box inside the first few minutes.

BVB then continued their dominance without really threatening to increase their lead until a late flurry before half-time that featured not one but two goal-line clearances from Mainz, as their captain Moussa Niakhate looked to lead by example.

It was early the second half when Haaland really sprung to life.

Silvan Widmer appeared to elbow the ball when Haaland was controlling it from a corner, but the referee waved play on and Mainz had their own penalty shout on the other end thanks to a bold challenge from Manuel Akanji.

Instead of giving that as a penalty, the VAR officials instructed Daniel Schlager to bring the game back and check his monitor for Widmer's handball, for which he subsequently penalised the Mainz defender and awarded a penalty.

Haaland converted the penalty, then secured a brace with a simple finish in injury time after brilliant skill, strength and vision from Jude Bellingham.

Substitute Jonathan Burkardt pulled a goal back shortly before Dortmund's third when his teammate Niklas Tauer seized on Gregor Kobel's poor pass to help tee him up, but it was too little too late for the visitors.

BVB now go top of the Bundesliga and turn their attention to a trip to Amsterdam on Tuesday for a Champions League encounter with Ajax.