Erling Haaland fulfils Didier Drogba promise when firing Man City into Champions League knockouts
Manchester City 3-0 BSC Young Boys Bern (Haaland 23′ pen, 51’, Foden 45+1′ | Lauper sent off 53′)
ETIHAD STADIUM — The sight of Young Boys skipper Mohamed Ali Camara asking for Erling Haaland’s shirt at half-time of this effortless Manchester City win summed up another night of domination from Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad.
Two goals from Haaland and one from Phil Foden took the Champions League holders through to the knockout stages for an 11th consecutive season.
And Camara’s act of sprinting after the Norwegian, whom he had been trying to mark, at the interval to collect his shirt just summed up an abject display from the Swiss.
It was the closest Camara had come to stopping Haaland all evening and said much about the attitude of the Swiss side, and many others, who have been on the receiving end of an unbeaten run of 28 home European ties for Guardiola – 26 of them wins.
To add to Young Boys’ embarrassment, Sandro Lauper was sent off eight minutes into the second half for a second yellow card as City collected their 23rd straight home win of 2023 at the Etihad.
Haaland maintained his goal-a-game Champions League average for City when he gave the holders the lead after 21 minutes of relentless superiority from his side, celebrating a la Didier Drogba having been set the task by the former Chelsea forward at the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Lauper was the offending party, tripping Matheus Nunes just inside the area and handing Haaland the opportunity to score his 15th goal in as many European ties for his club, which he duly did with a perfect, left-foot strike.
It was a night when such statistical considerations were one of the few interesting points for neutrals to ponder, because there was no contest out on the field.
Indeed, Haaland alone might have had a first half hat-trick as he shot at the keeper from Kyle Walker’s through ball and then failed to control a far-post cross from the same full-back.
Walker was only thrown into the starting line-up moments before kick-off, when Manuel Akanji cried off through illness, but that was a rare complication for Guardiola to negotiate.
Rico Lewis saw an early effort cleared off the line by Loris Benito and a Walker free-kick was spilled by Anthony Racioppi, with Foden striking the rebound directly back at the keeper.
Foden eventually confirmed the victory in first-half stoppage time when he hopped onto a perfect Jack Grealish pass, skipped away from Ulisses Garcia and rolled an expert finish into the far corner.
Haaland grabbed his second of the night on 51 minutes, collecting a Lewis pass and scoring with a spectacular 18-yard strike.
For his career, it took the Norwegian on to 39 goals in 34 Champions League ties, already in the top 20 of the competition’s all-time scoring list and within two of the 41 career goals scored by City legend Sergio Aguero.
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