Dortmund whitewash Cologne 5-1 in Bundesliga

   BERLIN, Jan. 25 -- Borussia Dortmund cruised past newly-promoted Cologne 5-1 after Erling Haaland's brace put the result beyond doubt in the second half at the opener of the 19th round in Bundesliga on Friday.
   The "BVB" recorded their second win in a row after beating Cologne following a powerful performance over 90 minutes. Cologne stepped up after the restart but Haaland's scoring spree continues and sealed the deal with two late goals.
   Dortmund grabbed a perfect start in front of the home crowd as they needed only 52 seconds to break the deadlock after Jadon Sancho teed up for Raphael Guerreiro, who tapped home the opener from inside the box.
   The hosts thought they had a chance to extend the lead from the penalty spot but the video assistant referee (VAR) revoked the penalty in the 12th minute.
   Cologne tried to respond but was only able to create half-chances while Dortmund doubled their advantage at the half-hour mark when Marco Reus capitalized on a long ball from Mats Hummels to beat Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn. Reus' goal was initially ruled offside but the VAR intervened once again and confirmed the 2-0 lead.
   After the restart, Dortmund increased the pressure and added another goal to their lead with just three minutes into the second half as Sancho had all time and space to drill the ball from inside the box into the roof of the net.
   Cologne suddenly sparked to life and reduced the arrears at the hour mark after Schalke loanee Mark Uth benefitted on a failed clearance from a corner to hammer home from tight angle to make it 3-1 on the scoreboards.
   The visitors gained momentum and had a golden chance when Jonas Hector's header on target rattled the bar in the 70th minute.
   Even though Cologne were on the front foot it were the hosts who restored their three-goal lead through winter signing Haaland, who came off the bench to tap home a rebound and his fourth goal in his second game in the 77th minute.
   The new arrival wasn't done with the scoring and wrapped up his brace in the closing period after rounding Horn to curl home from sharp angle.
   With the result, Dortmund climbed on the 3rd place of the standings and ended Cologne's four-game unbeaten streak. Meanwhile, the "Billy Goats" remain on the 13th place of the table.
   The following games are set for Saturday: Borussia Monchengladbach host Mainz, Wolfsburg see Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt clash with front runners Leipzig, Freiburg face bottom side Paderborn, newly promoted Union Berlin encounter Augsburg and Schalke travel to runner up Bayern Munich.  Xinhua