Haaland breaks City out of rut
GOALS LATE ON: Real Madrid produced a comeback victory via a Federico Valverde strike in stoppage-time, while Liverpool fell to a surprise 3-2 loss against Fenerbahce
AFP and AP, LEIPZIG, Germany
Erling Haaland’s 78th-minute strike on Wednesday helped Manchester City shake off a mini-slump with a 3-2 UEFA Champions League win against Leipzig.
After an excellent start to the season, City had lost two Premier League games in a row either side of beating Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties in the EFL Cup.
The visitors twice went ahead — through a Castello Lukeba own-goal and an Enzo Fernandez header — only to be pegged back by goals from Ridle Baku and Antonio Nusa.
Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba, right, scores an own-goal past goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, center, as Erling Haaland of Manchester City looks on look during their UEFA Champions League match at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, on Wednesday.
Photo: AFP
Despite having scored more against Leipzig than any other opponents in his career, Haaland had few chances.
However, he was right on the spot to turn in an Elliot Anderson cross for the winner.
“For me I think it’s easy. It’s around 100 minutes a game to just stay fully focused,” Haaland told reporters. “In this period it was about trying to wait for the right moment and attack it in the right way, and put it in the back of the net and that’s exactly what I did.”
Real Madrid players celebrate a goal during their UEFA Champions League match against AEK Athens at OPAP Arena in Athens on Wednesday.
Photo: AP
Haaland has now scored 13 times in nine matches against Leipzig, including a memorable five-goal performance in a 7-0 rout in March 2023.
Despite the victory, City were well below their usual best against a Leipzig side in a rebuilding process under new coach Martin Demichelis.
City coach Enzo Maresca, who arrived in the summer, said that his side were still a “work in progress,” but praised Haaland.
“It’s important that he’s on his game. We know that at any moment he can help us, he can score goals,” Maresca said.
He backed under-fire goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was out of position for Baku’s equalizer.
“It’s not a concern... We are talking about a mistake. A few minutes before he made a save that no keeper in the world could make,” Maresca said.
Nusa’s performance was a highlight for the hosts, with Haaland’s Norway teammate now on six goals and seven assists in 14 matches this season as Leipzig look to replace Yan Diomande, who left for Real Madrid in the summer.
“It’s a pity, to be honest,” Nusa told TNT Sports. “I feel like we deserved more today and you end up with zero points. It’s not a good feeling.”
City traveled to Germany having lost two Premier League games in a row for the first time since August last year.
Leipzig had won just one from three in the Champions League before Wednesday, but had been excellent at home, winning five from five while scoring 19 goals without conceding once.
Haaland was handed the captain’s armband for the first time this season, but it was another Norwegian, Leipzig’s Nusa, who impressed early.
Nusa forced Donnarumma to tip a shot over the crossbar with 14 minutes gone.
Leipzig looked more comfortable, but then conceded in embarrassing fashion with 37 minutes gone when Lukeba bungled a Nico O’Reilly cut-back into his own goal.
Christoph Baumgartner forced an excellent save from Donnarumma just after the break, but Leipzig were soon level when Baku threaded a low shot in from an acute angle with the Italian out of position off his line.
Haaland’s first dangerous moment came shortly after Baku’s equalizer, when he forced a close-range save from Maarten Vandevoordt.
Fernandez had City back in front just before the hour mark when he headed in a lovely Iliman Ndiaye cross, but Leipzig restored parity just three minutes later.
Christopher Nkunku linked up with Nusa just four minutes after coming off the bench, allowing the Norwegian to cut a low shot across the face of goal and in.
When Anderson broke down the right flank with 12 minutes left, Haaland immediately adjusted his run toward the far post, where he waited to tap in the England midfielder’s pinpoint cross.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid produced another late comeback as Federico Valverde struck in stoppage-time to seal a 3-2 win over AEK Athens.
Liverpool fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat against Fenerbahce, while Como thrashed Lens 9-1, Arsenal downed Slavia Prague 2-1, Porto trounced SSC Napoli 4-1, Borussia Dortmund beat Real Betis Balompie 2-1, Viking downed Sabah 4-1 and Club Brugge earned a 2-1 win against PSV Eindhoven.
Madrid joined back-to-back defending champions Paris Saint-Germain as the only other team to have a 100 percent winning record after four games in this season’s competition.
However, that perfect start was put under serious threat in Greece.
The record 15-time European champions twice went behind at Allwyn Arena and needed Valverde’s long-range strike in the 92nd minute to seal victory.
“Of course, I prefer to win more comfortably, but these games in the final minutes — only we can win them,” Madrid coach Mourinho told broadcaster Movistar.
Madrid also needed a late rally to beat AS Roma 4-3 last month, scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes, including a 90th-minute winner from Antonio Rudiger.
Madrid are second in the standings, behind PSG on goal-difference.
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