ERLING HAALAND continues to defy belief.
Manchester City aren’t far off doing the same on night’s like this.
An absolutely dominant display topped off by a goal from Haaland the likes of which The Etihad has never seen.
More of that later.
They were set on their way last night through the brilliance of his home grown favourite Phil Foden to give them a half time lead.
Haaland seemed to defy physics, gravity and everything else to turn the ball homeon 58 minutes.
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John Stones with a looping header on 64, Haaland with his second four minutes later and Matheus Nunes from the spot two minutes from time completed the rout.
First Foden who put his own name in the history books last season winning both the Football Writers and PFA players of the year trophies after bagging 28 goals for his club and country.
The start to this season has not been without it’s problems, however, with many wondering why this was only his fourth start to the campaign.
Particularly with Kevin de Bruyne out injured.
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Manager Pep Guardiola has tried to clear it up claiming injury niggles and ilness have been to blame for his stuttering start.
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He showed with a cracking goal and an assist in the 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava on mathday two of this season Champions League that he has lost non his skill for all that.
He kept his place against Fulham and it was his ball in for John Stones last gasp goal after coming on as a sub in the second-half.
As Guardiola says: “You realise immediately when he is happy and fit and mentally in the right moment, you realise immediately he’s getting better and better.”
He showed that after just three minutes against Sparta.
Receiving a ball from Manuel Akanji he ducked inside two men, moved the ball onto his left foot and arrowed a shot back arcoss Peter Vindahl into the far bottom corner.
City off and running and immediately looking for a second.
With his very first touch on 10 minutes Erling Haaland’s header was only denied by a spectacular save from Vindahl.
Ilkay Gundogan was making is 100th Champions League appearance, only the 48th player in history to do so and second in City colours after Fernandinho.
His corner on 27 minutes found Haaland again with a header but this time his effort was hacked away from in front of the goal.
In an instant Sparta broke through Veljko Birmancevic and nearly had an equaliser but City number two goalkeeper Stefan Ortega dived full length to deny him with his finger tips.
He was one of five changes to the starting City side.
You can change the names but the football always seems to stay the same.
They were camped in the Sparta half for most of game and that dominance showed in the scoreline after the break.
Just three three minutes into that second period from Foden’s corner Angelo Preciado headed the ball off his own post.
In the ensuing scramble Nathan Ake turned it in but the VAR also spotted a handball by the City player.
No worries, City kept at it and when Savinho crossed another Haaland header was denied by another fine save.
Then the two combined again and this time the net bulged and the crowd gasped.
Savinho raced to the byline and chipped the ball back across goal and then this happened.
Haaland took to the air like a karate champion with his back to goal and in mid air flicked out his left boot out to connect with the ball on the volley and send it past a stunned Vindahl.
Nobody in the stadium was quite sure at first how he had scored it.
Even Pep Guardiola who has seen it all was checking with his bench what had happened.
As the feat was replayed on the stadiums big screens the roars were replaced by expressions and sounds of disbelief.
Wow just wow.
Sunday’s hero Stones popped up with the third, a towering header from Matheus Nunes cross.
The fourth was another thing of beauty for different reasons as City glided their way upfield sharing the ball between the players.
Rico Lewis, having a fine game turned and began it all finding Foden who strode down the centre of the park like he owned.
He offloaded the ball to Nunes, and as the Sparta players looked this way and that the ball came back inside for Haaland to curl a low shot in.
Nunes got the goal his performance deserved after two assists as he was allowed to take the late penalty.
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City exceptional.
Haaland, unbelievable.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
