‘Freak’ Haaland scores outrageous goal for Man City in the Champions League

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Erling Haaland scored an outrageous backheel volley within the Champions League on Wednesday to situation a well timed reminder of his personal credentials as a possible Ballon d’Or winner.

A day after Vinicius Junior hit a hat trick for Actual Madrid, Haaland scored an early contender for aim of the season together with his acrobatic effort in Manchester Metropolis’s 5-0 win in opposition to Sparta Prague.

Vinicius Junior is the favourite to win soccer’s most prestigious particular person prize when it’s offered at a gala ceremony in Paris on Monday. However Haaland, who got here runner-up to Lionel Messi for final 12 months’s award, as soon as once more showcased his scoring prowess with two objectives as Metropolis set a brand new Champions League document of 26 video games unbeaten.

Haaland’s volley within the 58th minute on the Etihad Stadium was a second of particular person brilliance. From round six meters and together with his again to aim, the Norway striker leaped within the air and flicked the again of his foot to fulfill Savinho’s cross from the best. Connecting powerfully together with his heel, the ball shot down into the turf and bounced excessive into the highest nook past Prague goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.

“If I attempted to try this I’d pull my groin. I don’t understand how he did it, I simply suppose it’s simply his lengthy legs. He’s a freak isn’t he?” Haaland’s Metropolis teammate Phil Foden mentioned.

Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola mentioned the aim was not regular “for a human” and likened the ahead to Sweden nice Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“It’s unbelievable this expertise that this man has and naturally he made a improbable aim,” he mentioned.

Haaland scored his second within the 68th to take his season’s complete to 13 objectives in 12 video games in all competitions. His document within the Champions League is now 44 objectives in 42 video games.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time main scorer in European membership soccer’s elite competitors with 141 objectives. Messi is second on 129. Haaland is seventeenth and rising rapidly.

However he’s anticipated to overlook out on this 12 months’s Ballon d’Or with Vinicius Junior as the person to beat, forward of Haaland’s Metropolis teammate Rodri.

Haaland, nevertheless, is more likely to contend for years to come back if he continues his aim scoring exploits, with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe main a brand new technology after Messi and Ronaldo dominated the award for greater than a decade.

Neither of these soccer greats, who received 13 titles between them, have been nominated this 12 months, showing to usher in a brand new period.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer