Erling Haaland ended his goal drought in the Champions League with a brace while Manuel Akanji scored on his return to his homeland as reigning champions Manchester City all but secured their spot in the knockout stage with a 3-1 win over Swiss side Young Boys on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side maintained their 100 per cent winning record in Group G with three victories, despite their pre-game concerns about playing on the slick artificial turf at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern.
“It was an exceptional game,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. “I’m really, really pleased for the way we played; we need one more game to qualify mathematically.”
City can clinch their spot in the knockout stage when they play Young Boys again, this time at home, on November 7.
Haaland scored for the first time in six Champions League games with a penalty in the 67th minute after Mohamed Camara’s tackle on Rodri in the box. City’s goal-scoring machine added a fabulous second goal when he moved the ball from his left foot to his right before firing it into the top corner in the 86th.
Haaland, who rewrote several scoring records last season, added another one on Wednesday, breaking Kylian Mbappe’s mark as the youngest player to score 37 Champions League goals. The Norwegian striker, who is 23 years and 96 days, did it in 33 games.
PSG cruise
Another Kylian Mbappe moment of magic and a Randal Kolo Muani goal helped Paris St Germain beat a toothless AC Milan 3-0 at the Parc des Princes to go top of Group F.
France forward Mbappe broke the deadlock with a clever low shot before the break, before Kolo Muani doubled the advantage in the second half after some fine play by their national team partner Ousmane Dembele. Lee Kang-in added a third in the last minute for good measure.
In the same group, Borussia Dortmund rekindled their hopes with a gritty 1-0 victory at Newcastle United thanks to Felix Nmecha’s clinical first-half strike.
Nmecha’s first-time finish near the end of a high-octane opening half proved enough for the Bundesliga side to post their first win at the third time of asking.
Atletico Madrid battled back twice to draw 2-2 at Celtic in a Group E clash in which the Spanish side played the last few minutes with 10 men.
Travel outfit raises eyebrows
London: Manchester City were panned by football pundits for their choice of outfits to travel to their Champions League group game against Young Boys in Bern on Wednesday.
The reigning champions climbed off the team bus looking like a 1950s American college team, dressed in navy blue cardigans with their names and numbers on the back and “Manchester City” on bands around the sleeves, over white dress shirts and light denim jeans.
“Unacceptable!” a laughing Joe Cole said on the TNT Sports broadcast, calling the outfits “horrendous”. Former City defender Joleon Lescott added: “It is questionable, especially when it doesn’t look good on Jack Grealish.”
City, who have a fashion deal with label Dsquared2, have raised eyebrows before with their choice of team outfits, including double denim.
Tough action
City have banned two supporters for vile chants about Sir Bobby Charlton after the former Manchester United player’s death on Saturday.
Written with inputs from Reuters
