Two more scoring records have just been added to Erling Haaland’s resume, causing Man.City coach Pep Guardiola to joke that it’s as if he’s increasingly tired of answering questions about his “goal scoring machine.” me.
The 23-year-old Norwegian super striker became the fastest player to score 40 goals in the Champions League with a goal in the 54th minute, helping Man.City come back to win 3-2 against RB Leipzig, thereby securing the position. top of Group G before the final match. It took Haaland only 35 matches to reach the 40-goal mark, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of 45 matches. He also broke the record for the youngest player to reach 40 goals in the Champions League, at 23 years and 130 days, surpassing the previous record set by PSG star Kylian Mbappe.
Three days ago, Haaland also became the fastest player to reach the 50-goal mark in the Premier League in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool. “Again? Do I have to tell you again?” Coach Guardiola laughed loudly when asked to comment. “A thousand million times, I’m really impressed. Another record. Congratulations. He’s a great player. I tell you many times, we are really satisfied. We love him, not only because of his goals but also because of many other things.”
But more importantly for coach Guardiola, Haaland’s goal started Man.City’s comeback after a terrible first half that left them 2 goals behind in a Champions League match for the first time since 2019. 2018. This is also the first time Man.City has come back to win when trailing by 2 goals in the first half in the Champions League – they have lost all 6 previous matches. Man.City also maintained their unbeaten record at home in the Champions League since 2018.
Coach Guardiola said he hoped his players would learn from this type of match: “To win that match uncomfortably, to realize, stand in front of the mirror and say ‘we need to do better’. Anyway, we will be top of the group, the number 1 seed. I don’t know who we will face, but it would be nice to play the second leg at home.”
Phil Foden inspired the comeback, scoring one goal and assisting the other two. This is the second time the English star has scored and assisted in a Champions League match for Man.City – previously with Dinamo Zagreb in December 2019. Foden assessed on TNT Sports: “Motivation and courage turned the situation around. This team has a great mentality. We just need the first goal to continue. Even the fans were a lot louder after the goal. As soon as the first goal was scored the momentum was there. We have had a great record at the Etihad and just one goal can change everything.”