Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: November 29, 2023, 07:22 IST
UEFA Champions League: Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in opposition to RB Leipzig (AP)
Erling Haaland grew to become the quickest participant to rating 40 UEFA Champions League objectives as Manchester City got here from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2.
Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez scored within the 87th minute because the European champions clawed their method again from two objectives down to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 and clinch prime spot in Champions League Group G on Tuesday with one spherical of matches remaining.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden additionally netted within the second interval after considered one of City’s most underwhelming current first-half performances to give Pep Guardiola’s group 15 factors after 5 video games. Leipzig, who had additionally reached the final 16, have 9.
“First half was the worst I’ve seen us,” midfielder Foden advised TNT. “Courage and motivation changed it around. This team has great mentality and its so nice to see.”
Haaland added one other report to his bulging resume, changing into the quickest participant to 40 Champions League objectives. The striker grew to become the quickest to 50 Premier League objectives on Saturday.
Lois Openda pounced on a pair of City defensive blunders for each Leipzig objectives, sprinting onto a protracted ball from goalkeeper Janis Blaswich that bounced over a lackadaisical Manuel Akanji within the thirteenth minute. He struck once more with seemingly comparable ease within the thirty third, spinning round Ruben Dias en route to scoring.
“We had to be as relaxed as possible and we reacted really well,” Guardiola advised TNT. “We are first in the group and I am very satisfied for the reaction at the end. The team runs and fights and has spirit.”
Haaland, who poured in 5 objectives in opposition to Leipzig in a 7-0 rout within the Champions League final 16 in March, lastly gave City followers one thing to cheer within the 54th minute when he ran onto a go from Foden and struck a low left-foot shot into the online.
“We just needed that (first) goal to get going,” Foden mentioned. “Even the fans were a lot louder after the goal. Once the first went in the motivation was there. We’ve got a great record at the Etihad and it only takes one goal to change things.”
City levelled with Foden’s glorious first contact and end within the seventieth and Alvarez fired the hosts forward when Foden’s go was deflected into his path for an in depth-vary effort.
“What I told the guys was that we made (City) angry in the first half,” Leipzig supervisor Marco Rose advised reporters. “If we kept the clean sheet a little bit longer, maybe then the chance became bigger to win or to take something home.”
Guardiola’s facet narrowly prevented their first defeat in European competitors on the Etihad since a bunch stage loss to Olympique Lyonnais in 2018, which was additionally the final time City trailed by two objectives the Champions League.
Three days after their 1-1 prime-of-the-desk Premier League draw with Liverpool, City regarded like zombies by means of the primary half, though that they had a flurry of probabilities earlier than the break, their greatest being Dias’s header over the bar.
It was Guardiola’s second comeback from a two-objective deficit in his Champions League managerial profession after his Bayern Munich facet rallied to beat Juventus within the 2016 quarter-finals.
City end the group stage at Red Star Belgrade on Dec. 13.
Young Boys, who’re third on 4 factors, secured a spot within the Europa league knockout spherical playoffs with a 2-0 house win over Red Star. The Belgrade facet are backside with one level.
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Reuters)
