Paco Alcacer is continuing to love life in the Bundesliga, as he came off the bench to score a hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-3 win over Augsburg on Saturday. 6 - @paco93alcacer (@BVB) is the only player beside Gert Dörfel (Hamburg, 1963) to score 6 goals in his first 3 #Bundesliga appearances. Historic. #BVBFCA pic.twitter.com/GNvfUHIs2D — OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) October 6, 2018 The Barcelona loanee made it 1-1 in the 62nd minute, scoring with his first touch after replacing Maximilian Philipp just before the hour mark. Augsburg then went 2-1 up before Alcacer levelled again with 10 minutes of normal time remaining. A frantic finish saw Mario Gotze put Dortmund 3-2 up, Michael Gregoritsch equalise, and then Alcacer curl home the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. • Paco Alcácer came on for Dortmund in the 60th minute • He scored two goals in 20 minutes • At 3-3 in the 96th minute, he stood over a free-kick Cue the scenes pic.twitter.com/6ueY1HXmjw — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 6, 2018 Alcacer now has seven goals in four appearances for the Bundesliga leaders, and only one of those outings has been as a starter.<doc-sep>Borussia Dortmund stayed top of the Bundesliga by beating Augsburg 4-3 thanks to a remarkable 30-minute hat-trick from substitute Paco Alcacer on Saturday, while titleholders Bayern Munich were thumped 3-0 at home by Borussia Moenchengladbach. An extraordinary, see-sawing match in Dortmund produced four goals in the last 10 minutes as the hosts hit back from 2-1 down to lead 3-2, defiant Augsburg equalised and then Alcacer grabbed the winner with the last kick of the game. Impact: Substitute Paco Alcacer put in a remarkable performance as Dortmund rallied to beat Augsburg. Credit:AP Bayern, on the other hand, fell two goals behind in the first 16 minutes as they slumped to their fourth match without a win in all competitions - a crisis by the exacting standards of the Bavarian side. Alcacer, on loan from Barcelona, has scored a remarkable six goals in three league appearances, all of them as a substitute, and a total of 81 minutes' playing time.<doc-sep>DORTMUND, Germany -- Borussia Dortmund maintained their Bundesliga lead with a crazy 4-3 win over FC Augsburg that was decided by a Paco Alcacer free kick in the sixth minute of stoppage time. It was a heated match at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday, with Augsburg determined to hunt the host for every inch of the field. After 22 minutes, Alfred Finnbogason squeezed the ball past Roman Burki after the ball fell into his lap off a set piece to deservedly put the guests ahead -- though VAR might have intervened because Andre Hahn blatantly pushed Marco Reus to the ground as the ball was played into the box. Dortmund, tired after playing their seventh match in three weeks, needed a long time to respond against feisty guests, who totalled seven yellow cards over 90 minutes. The game kicked into another gear with the introduction of Alcacer in the 62nd minute. The Spaniard was on the pitch just three minutes before he slotted home the equaliser -- courtesy of Jadon Sancho's sixth assist of the season. Yet Augsburg were thoroughly unimpressed and kept the pressure on the Ruhr side and rewarded themselves with the lead again nine minutes later as Philipp Max finished from a tight angle on the break. With 20 minutes left to play, the Black and Yellows found their second wind and mounted the pressure. Substitute Raphael Guerreiro had the presence of mind to dink a free kick to Alacer, who volleyed home past Andreas Luthe. And BVB surely thought they had won it in the 84th minute. Substitute Mario Gotze caught his brother Felix Gotze napping as he made a run into the box and tucked the ball in from a tight angle for the 3-2 lead. But Augsburg were not defeated yet. In the 87th minute, Michael Gregoritsch beat Abdou Diallo to a header off a corner. The ball bounced off Burki into the net. However, it was Alcacer who had the last laugh with a free kick from 25 yards out. The shot to the near post caught Luthe by surprise and sent the Westfalenstadion into pandemonium. Positives Michael Zorc said after the match that he hadn't seen the stadium boiling that loudly in the final minutes of a game in a very long time. Even after Augsburg equalised for the 3-3, both the Dortmund fans and the team on the pitch showed a palpable belief that they could still keep all three points at home. The hosts stayed calm and trusted their footballing quality rather than punting long balls downfield in the hope for a lucky deflection. And they were rewarded yet again. Negatives In 10 competitive games this season, Dortmund have failed to score before the break. Lucien Favre bemoaned the balance of his team that conceded thrice for the first time this season, but Augsburg certainly deserve credit for their relentless aggression and their ability to profit off every untidy play by the league leaders. Manager rating out of 10 7 -- Favre could not rotate as much as he wanted to due to several niggling injuries in the squad, but yet again all four goals were scored by substitutes. Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating) GK Roman Burki, 6 -- Had to keep his team in the game right after half-time with a strong double save but looked awkward in Gregoritsch's goal. DF Achraf Hakimi, 7 -- The right-back was a 90-minute headache for Augsburg's defence, and picked out an intelligent pass to assist Gotze's goal. At times, he also posed a headache for his fellow defenders. DF Manuel Akanji, 7 -- Made strong forward runs to break Augsburg's man-marking. Had a couple of awkward passes, too. DF Dan-Axel Zagadou, 7 -- The 19-year-old kept his strong form alive using both his physique and wit to dominate on both sides of the ball. If there is one caveat, the referee should have pointed to the spot after the centre-back took out Gregoritsch in the box after 14 minutes. DF Abdou Diallo, 4 -- The left-back had his moments going forward but was too often exposed on his left side. He looked questionable in all of Augsburg's goals. MF Axel Witsel, 6 -- Had a monster play before Dortmund equalised the first time, as he won the ball in midfield and then sent Sancho into space for a pre-assist. MF Julian Weigl, 5 -- At times, Weigl looked lost against physical Augsburg, who followed him wherever he went. MF Jacob Bruun Larsen, 4 -- The Dane was visibly tired and was the first to be subbed out at the hour mark. MF Marco Reus, 6 -- Reus was bullied by Augsburg over stretches of the game as the guests pushed him to the ground whenever they had the chance. It provoked an outburst of frustration from the captain that warranted a booking in the 52nd minute but it got the crowd riled up. MF Jadon Sancho, 7 -- The Englishman grabbed his sixth assist of the season in his first league start, once again underscoring why he earned Gareth Southgate's call-up to England's senior team. FW Maximilian Philipp, 4 -- With Alcacer not having the fitness yet to start after playing his first full 90 minutes for the club on Wednesday, Philipp had to fill in as centre-forward yet again. It went as badly as expected. Substitutes FW Paco Alcacer, 10 -- The Spaniard is too much to handle for Bundesliga defences; with only 81 minutes of accumulated playing time, he is the league's top scorer with six goals. His hat trick on Saturday was a demonstration of his sheer brilliance. MF Raphael Guerreiro, 7 -- Playing on the left wing, Guerreiro energised BVB's attack. He grabbed an assist for Alcacer but arguably his best move of the game was to leave the final free kick to the Spanish striker after he had already placed it on the grass for himself. MF Mario Gotze, NR -- Fans greeted Gotze with a very loud cheer as he made his first appearance in the league off the bench.<doc-sep>DORTMUND, GERMANY - OCTOBER 06: Paco Alcacer of Borussia Dortmund celebrates scoring the goal to the 4:3 during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg at the Signal Iduna Park on October 06, 2018 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images) Borussia Dortmund hero Paco Alcacer has signaled his intent to stay with the club beyond his season long loan spell. Alcacer joined Borussia Dortmund on a season long loan deal from Barcelona in the summer. And the Spaniard has made a sensational start to life in Germany, scoring seven goals in just four appearances for the club. Six of his goals have come in the Bundesliga and he is the league’s leading goal scorer despite having been on the pitch for only 81 minutes. Alcacer’s numbers are absolutely crazy, especially when you consider the fact that he has been struggling with a muscular injury and is not yet fully fit. The striker’s return to form has also seen him earn a call up to Spain’s squad for the first time in two and a half years. Alcacer continued his great run of form on Saturday with a 30 minute hat-trick against Augsburg, as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to win the thrilling encounter 4-3. He also scored the winner with a sublime free kick from 25 yards out in the final minute of the game, sending the Signal Iduna Park into raptures. The result helped Borussia Dortmund extend their lead at the top of the table to three points. The 25 year old was asked after the game if can see himself staying at Borussia Dortmund after his loan spell expires. In an interview with BILD, Alcacer said: “I feel very comfortable in Dortmund. I can also imagine staying at Borussia Dortmund beyond the year. Goals are important to me, but more important is the joy within the team.” He added, “Maybe this is the best moment of my career. Goals are not the most important thing, but the ability to help the team.” Borussia Dortmund have the option to sign Alcacer on a permanent deal for 22 million euros at the end of his loan spell. And if he can continue to perform on a consistent basis throughout the season, purchasing him would be a no brainer for the Black and Yellows.<doc-sep>
Paco Alcacer came off the bench to score a hat-trick and help Borussia Dortmund beat FC Augsburg 4-3 in an absolute thriller. Borussia Dortmund fell behind in the first half, before Paco Alcacer leveled things up at the hour mark. But Augsburg took the lead once again nine minutes later, before the Spaniard made it 2-2. Mario Gotze gave Dortmund the lead in the 84th minute, but Augsburg got themselves level thanks to Michael Gregoritsch’s header just three minutes later. But Paco Alcacer got the final word as he scored a last minute winner from a sumptuous free kick to seal a dramatic win for the Black and Yellows. Here are the Borussia Dortmund player ratings from the game. Roman Burki (6/10) Probably should have done better for the first goal but did not stand a chance for Augsburg’s second and third. He made some good saves once again to keep Borussia Dortmund in the game, especially in the first half. Achraf Hakimi (5/10) Hakimi was once again a big threat going forward. Linked up well with Sancho and came close to scoring from outside the box. He got the assist for Gotze’s goal with an accurate through ball. Defensively, he did not look as comfortable and had a few avoidable turnovers in possession. Manuel Akanji (5/10) After his dominant performances in the last few games, Akanji did not have the best of games against Augsburg. He often left too much space for Finnbogason and failed to read his runs. Was lucky that the Iceland international only hit the bar when he lost him in the 63rd minute. Dan Axel Zagadou (6/10) Was lucky the referee did not give a penalty when he brought Gregoritsch down in the box in the first half. He was then at fault for Augsburg’s opener as he failed to create the ball from a free kick. He did improve as the game went on and made a total of eight clearances, showing his great physique and composure. Abdou Diallo (4/10) Diallo did not have the best of games and looked uncomfortable at left back. He struggled to cope with Augsburg’s pace and failed to prevent crosses from going into the box. The Frenchman was partly at fault for Augsburg’s second goal and failed to mark Michael Gregoritsch for their third goal. Diallo did not provide much of a threat going forward either. Axel Witsel (7/10) Once again, the Belgian international bossed the midfield for Borussia Dortmund. His distribution and build up play was top class and he looked to get forward more often than usual. Witsel’s ability to turn defense into attack in the blink of an eye proved to be crucial in what was a very open second half. Also got the pre-assist for Dortmund’s first goal with a fine through ball for for Jadon Sancho. Julian Weigl (5/10) While Weigl impressed after coming off the bench on Wednesday, he failed to have a similar impact today. Both him and Witsel often took similar positions and failed to provide any creativity in the first half. Weigl was clearly struggling from a lack of match rhythm and as a result he struggled to cope with Augsburg’s energy and pressing at times. Was replaced by Mario Gotze in the second half.