Amazing goal from Haaland and king of break – you should have seen that

Once again, Erling Haaland spoils us with an acrobatic goal that no one else in the world could achieve. But there was plenty to see elsewhere in the Champions League too.

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What else can you say?

Erling Haaland is out of this world. Not much to say about his goal to make it 2-0 against Sparta Prague – some things to enjoy.

Here are some other stats: Thanks to his brace in the 5-0 win against the Czechs, the Norwegian now has 44 goals in 42 Champions League games. He also scored in his 110th game for Manchester City Hits 102 and 103. In total he has 238 goals as a professional. The man is only 24 years old.

An unstable city

The win against Prague was historic for Manchester City. For the 26th time in a row, Pep Guardiola’s side remained unbeaten in the Champions League, breaking the city rivals’ record from 2007 to 2009. The Skyblues suffered their latest defeat after regular playing time in the main class in December 2021 in Leipzig. Last season, the 2022/23 Champions League winner only failed in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final against Real Madrid after two draws.

Pep Guardiola made Manchester City a powerhouse.Photo: keystone

In the current campaign, Manchester City are also on the way with two wins and one draw from three games.

The big problem at Leverkusen

Leverkusen would like to maintain their impressive record in the Champions League. However, the German champions could not manage a 1-1 draw against a formidable Brest side. One reason for this was Pierre Lees-Melou’s dream goal, which volleyed home Florian Wirtz’s opening goal.

However, a sighting in the penalty area in the 89th minute caused a particular problem. After a soulful pass from Xhaka, who came off the bench for one time, Jonas Hofmann went down. The Leverkusen player claimed a foul from Brest defender Soumaila Coulibaly, but the referee did not award a penalty. Much to the dismay of Hofmann, who explained after the game: “I see it as a penalty and I don’t understand why the referee isn’t looking at it. You take a clear line or you don’t.” Coach Xabi Alonso may have had the same opinion – the 42-year-old was shown a yellow for complaining.

Due to the 1-1 draw, Stade Brest remains unbeaten and in 5th place, just ahead of their opponents Leverkusen with the same points.

He was the tallest man on the pitch

There was also a surprise in Lisbon, where Feyenoord Rotterdam beat Benfica 3-1. Antoni Milambo provided the highlight of the game with his first of two goals. He first went through the defender Nicolas Otamendi and then shot through the legs of the goalkeeper Anatolij Trubin. With this goal he would be a hero on every half-time field.

Feyenoord celebrated their second victory in a row and drew level with Benfica on points. The Portuguese, for whom Zeki Amdouni came as a substitute after an hour, had won their first two games in the top class in Belgrade (2-1) and against Atlético Madrid (4-0). .

To the death of Raphinha-Show

The rivalry between FC Barcelona and their fearsome opponents Bayern Munich turned out to be a great display for Raphinha. The 27-year-old Brazilian opened the scoring after less than a minute and then scored twice more. After Barca lost their last six duels with Bayern, including an 8-2 defeat, won 4-1 on Wednesday night.

The winning efficiency – thanks to the four shots on goal – was represented above all by Raphinha. The balance sheet of the former Leeds professional, who arrived in the summer of 2022 for almost 60 million euros: 3 shots, 3 goals. He was only the fourth player to score three goals in the Champions League against Bayern. This was previously achieved according to «choose» first Roy Makaay (2002), Sergio Aguero (2014) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2017).

After the match, coach Hansi Flick gave special praise to the “Man of the Match”: “I have never had a player like Raphinha in one of my teams. He gives everything and puts all his heart into it.” The in-form player (9 goals and eight assists this season) is very good with and without the ball, working in the media “and he’s always smiling,” Flick said.

Former Atlético Schockt Basler Zhegrova

He is still fondly remembered by FC Basel fans. In almost three years in red and blue, Edon Zhegrova proved his strength in dribbling and in 1-on-1 situations. At times he held the ball a little too long and got involved, but in the end he still managed eleven goals and 17 assists in 74 games. At Lille he has developed into an excellent player since his move in the winter of 2022.

Atlético Madrid now had to realize that they were a goal threat. When Zhegrova got the ball on the edge of the penalty, he didn’t hesitate and just hit it. With a little help from defender José Gimenez, who cleared the ball with his head, he hit the far corner and surprised the Madrilenians, who had been leading until then. As Lille’s Jonathan David scored twice, Atlético suffered their second straight defeat in the top flight.

The dream start of slots continues

It is not easy to follow a club legend like Jürgen Klopp. Arne Slot has passed this with flying colors so far. The Liverpool coach led his team in Leipzig (1-0) to their eleventh victory in their twelfth competitive game with the Reds. Darwin Nuñez scored the decisive goal. So the slot according to «choose» the first coach of an English team to start so successfully.

So far everything is going smoothly for Arne Slot.Photo: keystone

The influence of James Milner

What is the average of the teams in the top three places in the Champions League?

On the one hand, everyone comes from England. But there is another side: Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City special James Milner was once under contract. The 38-year-old former international, who now plays for Brighton, does not seem to have anything to do with the success of his previous teams. But from a scientific point of view, it is hardly possible to prove otherwise.

Is James Milner behind the success of Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City?Photo: keystone