Manchester’s ETIHAD Stadium — Man City defeated Haaland’s previous club Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League. Thanks to an incredible acrobatic goal from Erling Haaland.
As a result of Jude Bellignham’s opportunistic header off of Marco Reus’ effort in the 56th minute. Pep Guardiola’s team went down in the Group G match at Etihad Stadium. The first half saw neither team attempt a shot on goal.
Before John Stones’ unexpected 25-yard goal in the 80th minute, City had yet to threaten Alexander Meyer’s goal. Four minutes later, Borussia Dortmund allowed Joao Cancelo too much room and time to target one of his signature outside-of-the-foot crosses. This led to another memorable moment from Haaland.
The No. 9 threw out his left boot in midair to make a close-range conversion. Haaland’s 13th goal in eight games for his new team and 26th in 21 Champions League games overall. It gave City their second victory in a row in this year’s campaign.
We are all simply residing in Haaland’s universe in Borussia Dortmund vs Man City
The program continues as a result. It seems like he wouldn’t have a good night. Perhaps Bellingham, who is expected to be the next high-profile Dortmund export, should have owned it. However, Haaland is currently a rock star player who doesn’t play by the rules. The first quiet action he has taken since returning to Manchester was perhaps his appropriately subdued jubilation after downing his former employers.
The Norwegian striker provided City with a new dimension. But his objectives are more focused on saving the squad when they play poorly and securing victories that may not be deserved. After almost two years of Guardiola seeking perfection with false No. 9s, that is a big shift in gear.
The Premier League winners just didn’t have the ability to pull themselves out of situations like this. Although Guardiola will be troubled by the fact that Haaland’s goals last month helped his team rally against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United in the league.
Haaland’s statements were forced onto Schlotterbeck.
It seemed like a daring pre-game plan, for sure. Nico Schlotterbeck, a defender for Borussia Dortmund, said to Sport1: “I know how to stop Erling Haaland. Erling is the least of our issues; we need to stop them all.
Terdic seems to disagree since, following the weekend’s 3-0 loss to RB Leipzig, he benched Schlotterbeck. But perhaps he had shared his advice. The visitors’ defense was led by the imposing Niklas Sule and Mats Hummels. With Borussia Dortmund leading 1-0, everything seemed to be going fairly smoothly.
Terdic then made the decision to add Schlotterbeck as a second center-back. When Stones chose to channel his inner Roberto Carlos, Haaland remained, in many ways, the least of Dortmund’s concerns. However, the man who had the idea could only watch helplessly from the ground as the City striker twisted himself impossibly to score the winning goal.
Mahrez and Grealish regret missing the chance in Borussia Dortmund vs Man City
Grealish cut inside three times in the first half. And he telegraphed a right-footed attempt that was stopped from behind. After then, none of the resulting corners were used by City to make a threat. It reminded me of the Simpsons episode when Homer repeatedly nudges the warden of a wildlife reserve in the ribs. “Please stop, Mr. Grealish.”
We had a lot of trouble finding our rhythm. Guardiola criticized his squad for being “so lethargic in our transitions, our moves to be aggressive.” This was mostly due to Grealish and Mahrez’s inside cutting, which slowed attacks and rendered the hosts very predictable. Once Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Julian Alvarez entered the match, there was a noticeable boost in energy.
Even though this starting lineup would lack the control Guardiola desires. It would be fantastic to watch all three begin with Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. Mahrez and Grealish are currently being left behind in this revamped Manchester City team that is headquartered in Haaland. They have yet to provide a goal or an assist this season between them, despite the fact that their club has new and diverse offensive threats.
Read more About: Potential game-changer: A blood test finds numerous tumors
