It’s not often Erling Braut Haaland is out-scored and out-shone.
But while the irrepressible Norwegian did play his part in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 comeback victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, it was his opposite number at the other end of the pitch who would have left a bigger impression on all of those lucky enough to catch one of the most exciting, topsy-turvy games of this Bundesliga season.
After a sluggish start to life in Germany, Rafael Santos Borre found his feet at last the winter break, ending 2021 with a flurry of goals and assists.
And any fears that a good run of form would be disrupted by a fortnight of rest were emphatically dispelled as the former River Plate frontman fired Frankfurt into a 2-0 goal lead inside 24 minutes at the Commerzbank Arena.
If Borre’s first owed much to a trademark Filip Kostic assist – and some less-than-convincing Gregor Kobel goalkeeping – then his second was all the South American’s own work.
Latching onto a loose ball inside the penalty area, Borre skipped around Marco Reus like a spring-heeled hyena dancing around a wounded wildebeest before slotting the coolest of finishes into the far corner.
Will Rangers regret not signing Rafael Santos Borre?
“Rafa is absolutely on the right track,” said coach Oliver Glasner at full-time, paying tribute to the ever-improving performances of a man who was handed the unenviable task of succeeding Andre Silva at Frankfurt.
Silva, remember, broke a Bundesliga record last season en route the most prolific campaign in Frankfurt’s top-flight history.
“Rafa is always at the service of the team. He has run almost 12.5 kilometers again (against Dortmund) and is rewarded for it. We all appreciate that about him,” Glasner adds.
Before joining Frankfurt on a free transfer in July, former Atletico Madrid youngster Borre had been tipped to link up with his fellow Colombia international Alfredo Morelos.
But, after failing to find the net in his first seven games for The Eagles, you’d have been forgiven for wondering if Rangers had dodged a bullet, Neo-style.
Four months on, however, the cynics who prematurely labelled Borre a flop are suddenly quieter than a church mouse at he Crucible.
Borre might not have taken to the Bundesliga like a duck to water quite in a manner reminiscent of Haaland. But, on Saturday, Frankfurt’s new number nine proved that, just because Silva is gone, that does not mean opposition defenders can afford to take it easy when Borre comes to town.
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