Haaland quenches his thirst for goals in the Champions League

Switzerland striker Erling Haaland scored twice as Man City beat Young Boys 3-1 to secure a perfect first-leg win in the Champions League group stage.

These are Haaland's first goals in the Champions League this season. Despite scoring 52 goals in 53 games last season, and 11 goals in 14 games this season, the Norwegian striker has failed to score in five consecutive matches in European competitions, including two semi-final matches against Real last season, the final against Inter and two matches against Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig this season. The last time Haaland scored before this match was in the 1-1 draw with Bayern in the second leg of the quarter-finals last season. Whoscored gave him a score of 8.58, the highest in the match.

Haaland scored Man City's third goal against Young Boys. Photo: Reuters

The win kept Man City at the top of Group G after the first leg. They are one of four teams to win all three, alongside Bayern, Real and Barca. Despite concerns about playing on the Wankdorf artificial turf in wet conditions, the defending champions still had a real walk in the second half and could have won by a bigger margin if they had not squandered so many chances.

In the first half, Man City had at least four dangerous situations. Haaland shot wide in the 23rd minute and then missed when Jack Grealish's cross found him in a good position. The clearest chances belonged to Jeremy Doku. In the 24th minute, Man City's new signing shot into Anthony Racioppi's position in a one-on-one situation. At the end of the first half, Doku almost scored a masterpiece with his signature dribble and curled shot but still could not beat the Young Boys goalkeeper.

The second half was more exciting with goals coming in quick succession. From Rodri's cross, Ruben Dias jumped high and headed the ball against the crossbar. Manuel Akanji was in the right place to score the rebound. The Swiss centre-back scored on his return to his homeland and it was a meaningful goal for Akanji after he received a red card against Brighton last weekend in the Premier League.

Akanji scored after being sent off last weekend in the Premier League. Photo: Reuters

It took Young Boys just four minutes to equalise. City paid the price for their high line when Mechak Elia beat the offside trap to meet a long pass from Cheikh Niasse. The Congolese striker calmly chipped the ball over goalkeeper Ederson to level the scores.

However, Young Boys' equalizer did not change the game. Man City increased the pressure, forcing the home defense to make a mistake in the 64th minute when Mohamed Camara fouled Rodri in the penalty area. With the chance to end his goal drought, Haaland did not miss with a powerful shot to the right corner, leaving Racioppi unable to block despite guessing the right direction and getting a hand to the ball.

After scoring, Haaland missed a chance from Doku's pass. The Norwegian striker then made a wall for Julian Alvarez to score but was denied by VAR for a handball. In this match, Pep Guardiola put Alvarez on the bench to save his energy for the Manchester derby at the weekend. Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker were also rested.

Haaland scored a penalty kick, scoring his first goal after five goalscoring droughts in the Champions League. Photo: Reuters

In the 79th minute, Haaland missed again. This time, he faced Racioppi after a pass from Rico Lewis but his attempt to nutmeg the home goalkeeper failed. However, four minutes before the end of the second half, the 23-year-old striker sealed the score with an exemplary move in the penalty area. He turned around a home player and curled his right foot in, leaving Racioppi rooted to the spot.

This weekend, Man City will visit city rivals Man Utd in the Manchester derby in round 10 of the Premier League.

Quang Huy

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