'Clinical' Erling Braut Haaland smashes Champions League record to fire Dortmund past Club Brugge

Norwegian striker passes 15-goal milestone in just 12 games, needing seven less than previous record holders Van Nistelrooy and Soldado

Erling Braut Haaland celebrates with teammates after scoring his second goal for Borussia Dortmund against Club Brugge. AP Photo

Erling Braut Haaland celebrates with teammates after scoring his second goal for Borussia Dortmund against Club Brugge. AP Photo

Erling Braut Haaland shoots to score his second goal for Borussia Dortmund against Club Brugge. AP Photo

Erling Braut Haaland takes a shot at goal during the Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge. AP Photo

Erling Braut Haaland fights for the ball with Brugge's Hans Vanaken. AP Photo

Erling Braut Haaland shoots to score his second goal during the Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge. AP Photo

Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho celebrates scoring their second goal with Jude Bellingham and Erling Braut Haaland. Reuters

Erling Braut Haaland scores the third goal during the Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge. AFP

Erling Braut Haaland (3rd L) celebrates with his Dorrtmund teammates after scoring the third goal goal against Club Brugge. AFP

Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring Dotmund's third goal with teammates. Reuters

Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring Dortmund's first goal - his 15th in the Champions League. Reuters

Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring Dortmund's third goal with teammates. Reuters

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho said teammate Erling Braut Haaland "deserves everything that's coming his way" after the Norwegian striker became the fastest player to score 15 Champions League goals.

Haaland, 20, scored the first and third goals for Dortmund in a 3-0 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday as the Bundesliga club took a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages.

Haaland's 18th-minute opener saw him reach 15 Champions League goals in fewer games than any other player in the competition's history. He hit the milestone in just 12 appearances, smashing the previous record of 19 games held by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roberto Soldado.

"Erling is a fantastic player. He works hard on and off the pitch and he deserves everything that's coming his way," said Sancho, who provided the assist for Haaland's opener and scored Dortmund's second.

"I'm just happy that I can get my assists more easily because he's so clinical."

Haaland added another in the second half to take his tally to 16, as he and Dortmund annihilated Brugge to defend top spot in Group F and move within touching distance of qualification for the second round.

With two games to go, Lucien Favre's side are now five points clear of third place and a point ahead of second-placed Lazio, who beat Zenit Saint Petersburg 3-1 on Tuesday.

Dortmund were predictably dominant in the first half, and it took Haaland just 70 seconds to send a shot fizzing past the Brugge post. The Norwegian found the net on 18 minutes, placing a low shot past Simon Mignolet after Sancho set him up with an elegant through ball.

Sancho, who has faced criticism this season and was dropped to the bench for Dortmund's league win at Hertha Berlin last weekend, was in excellent form upon his return to the starting XI.

The 20-year-old Englishman doubled Dortmund's lead on the stroke of half-time, curling a free-kick into the top corner after compatriot Jude Bellingham was fouled on the edge of the box.

"I've been practising my free-kicks recently, so I'm happy it came off today," said Sancho. "I'm just happy I'm playing and that I have coaches who believe in me. It's been a hard situation for me recently, but it's all about how I come back."

Haaland put the game beyond reach on the hour mark, gratefully pouncing on an inadvertent assist from Brugge midfielder Ruud Vormer and sweeping the ball in from close range.

Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga table, return to league duties on Saturday when they welcome Koln to the Westfalenstadion.