Aussies Abroad: Langerak gets a start

2 min read 24 January 2012

Mitchell Langerak has enjoyed a rare outing for German champions Borussia Dortmund, filling in during the club's 5-1 thumping of Hamburg in the Bundesliga.

It was the highly rated 23-year-old goalkeeper's second appearance for the senior team this season, having played in a 2-0 win over Dynamo Dresden in the German Cup in October.

Sunday's win elevated Dortmund to the top of the table in the German top-flight alongside Bayern Munich and Schalke on 37 points.

The former Melbourne Victory player's opportunity came about because of first-choice No.1 Roman Weidenfeller's back pains.

The Australian only played one match in the Bundesliga last season but what an occasion it was.

He made a dream debut as Dortmund produced a season-defining 3-1 win at Bayern Munich in front of just under 70,000 fans.

The Queenslander has enjoyed victories in all three of his outings for Dortmund.

Also in Germany, former A-League player Matthew Leckie was an injury-time substitute in Borussia Monchengladbach's 3-1 home win over German giants Bayern Munich.

In the Barclays Premier League, Tim Cahill had a mixed day at the office in Everton's 1-1 draw with Blackburn, breaking his goal scoring drought, but also being involved in Villa's equaliser.

In the nPower Championship, Scott McDonald scored a consolation goal for Middlesbrough in their 3-1 loss to Coventry City. Rhys Williams played 70 minutes for Middlesbrough.

Elsewhere, Neil Kilkenny enjoyed 90 minutes and set up the winner in Bristol City's 2-1 win over Doncaster Rovers, while Adam Federici's Reading were on the end of a 1-0 loss to Hull City.

In Holland, want-away Socceroos star Brett Holman played 85 minutes in AZ Alkmaar's 1-1 draw with AJAX Amsterdam, while Tommy Oar was a 56th minute substitute for FC Utrecht in a 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven.

Over in Italy, Carl Valeri's Serie B side Sassuolo continued their push for promotion with a home win over Vicenza.