Manchester City defeated FC Copenhagen 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium thanks in large part to two goals from Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian scored with his first touch of the game, increased the lead in the first half, and has now scored 19 goals for the club in just 12 outings.
A Riyad Mahrez penalty and an own goal by David Khocholava added insult to injury in this lopsided match before Julian Alvarez scored his first Champions League goal late in the game thanks to some excellent work by Jack Grealish. For City, everything was simple.
With the game already won and Pep Guardiola’s team confidently advancing into the knockout stages after collecting nine points from their previous two games, Haaland was replaced at halftime.
The opportunities continued coming for City, but the opposition was appreciative when they went to others. Grealish had a few efforts blocked, and Grabara made some strong saves on Ilkay Gundogan. When the ball dropped to the nation’s deadliest finisher, issues arose.
As a result, Haaland measured the ball into the empty net after the goalkeeper could only parry Sergio Gomez’s shot into his path. The only person who could stop him from getting a hat-trick was Guardiola, who replaced him with Cole Palmer at halftime.
By the time the game reached the seventh minute, Copenhagen had effectively silenced Haaland. He hadn’t even touched the ball yet. However, Joao Cancelo’s cross was diverted into his path, allowing him to slam the ball past Kamil Grabara and into the goal with his right foot.
As a result, Haaland measured the ball into the empty net after the goalkeeper could only parry Sergio Gomez’s shot into his path. The only person who could stop him from getting his hat-trick was Guardiola, who replaced him with Cole Palmer at halftime.