Young Boys 1-3 Man City: Erling Haaland scores twice as Pep Guardiola’s men continue perfect start to defend their Champions League crown
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It had been looking like an awkward night for Manchester City, and not just because of the plastic pitch.
Plenty of missed chances, and then a real gift of an equalizer, looked set to end their 100 per cent record in this group.
But a debated penalty opened this up and you know who dispatched it. One of the Swiss daily newspapers had depicted Erling Haaland as a cartoon giant on its front page in the morning.
Tiny Young Boys defenders were drawn clinging onto him with strings, with the headline asking how they go about taming the most threatening man in Europe. Nowhere did it say not to give him penalties. No need really: that much is blindingly obvious.
Mohamed Camara’s trip on Rodri was a judgment call and City are not ones to capitalize on some fortune, which leaves them needing very little to settle qualification at the last 16 yet again. An intense evening but a breezy group stage overall.
Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring against Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday evening
Haaland scores his first goal of the game from the penalty spot to restore his side’s lead during the second half
Rodri congratulates Haaland after the striker scored City’s third goal of the game to seal the three points for his side
City manager Pep Guardiola hugs star striker Haaland following the referee’s full-time whistle at the Wakndorf Stadium
The artificial pitch mixed with the conditions, teeming with rain, reduced one of the greatest midfielders of his generation to a limp mess. A routine ball into Guardiola’s technical area just needed gathering and popping off to Ulisses Garcia so the Young Boys left back could restart play.
Guardiola’s legs went, a confused manager staring at his feet as the ball bobbled about. Once he finally gained control of it, his black suit shoe couldn’t get any purchase in an attempt to flick the thing up into Garcia’s arms.
And there were fewer better than him, way back when. Now a mother mortal on the skiddy Astro turf. Might as well have been at any Powerleague. It was one of those nights, down at five-a-side with a group of mates, when the most practical option would be to boot possession towards the other end of the cage and dash after it.
Erling Haaland attempted something not too dissimilar, barging beyond three defenders with brute force through the middle, as City realized any sort of extending passing patterns were simply too dangerous against an opposition who broke into action on command. The command was any loose touch.
Haaland beat the keeper from the spot to end his five-game goal drought in Europe’s first competition
The Norwegian missed a number of chances during the game but found the net with a brilliant finish in the latter stages
Haaland shifted the ball on to his ‘weaker’ right foot before giving the keeper no chance with a finish into the top corner
Filip Ugrinic had delivered them a warning about that within seconds, Joel Monteiro embarrassing the dawdling Nathan Ake before his striker stung Ederson’s palms. Ake later made a crucial intervention to stop Sandro Lauper from sliding into the City net on the counter.
City, who trained on this surface 24 hours earlier, had begun to gain additional control. Rodri headed a Matheus Nunes corner wide, before the summer signing then swept over a Jack Grealish cross.
Quite what Grealish has done to the good people of Bern only the locals know but – as is customary at every away ground in England – the No 10 found his every touch incessantly jeered, with the weird obsession of him now having gone continental. That his accidental clash with Lewin Blum drew blood hardly helped the animosity.
He was good, Grealish. Probably their most productive player before the break, which felt timely ahead of the derby on Sunday. Again it was him who slipped Jeremy Doku clear, only for the winger to dally too long, chopping back on his left foot and crowded out when he ought to have left it with his stronger right. Doku later produced a far better stop from Anthony Racioppi, his effort seemingly bending in from the edge of the box.
The chances started piling up, Racioppi’s right foot reaching a Rodri shot that appeared destined for goal from another corner.
Loris Benito had cleared one off the line when the goalkeeper fumbled with Nunes following in. A £53million signing from Wolves, Nunes has yet to sparkle in a City shirt. The role just behind the striker is a concept with which he is not overly familiar and, at the moment, that is showing.
City returned from the break with renewed vigor though, forcing corners. Manuel Akanji’s header kissed the post from Grealish’s cross before the Switzerland hero managed to nab one in his own back yard three minutes into the second half. Ruben Dias attacked a Rodri center with more aggression than anyone else, Racioppi tipping onto the bar, but Akanji bundled over the line.
It should have settled City down. It didn’t. A ridiculously high line was exposed four minutes later by one long ball over the top, Meschack Elia running off the back of Rico Lewis. He was through with a job to complete; Ederson rushed out, Elia lobbed over him with poise.
For a bit, this place resembles the famous bear pit a mile down the road. The beasts in there, a tourist attraction, aren’t expected to hibernate for another couple of weeks and there was no hiding by Young Boys here either.
The home side were incensed by the penalty, awarded by the frantic Morten Krough for a trip on Rodri by Mohamed Camara. VAR agreed with the Danish official and Haaland did the rest. Guardiola sent for Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez, the latter seeing a third goal disallowed for offside.
Haaland did, however, miss more chances, sliding wide and then an unconvincing effort when through before he finally added his second, curling in with class on his right foot.
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