Manchester City has a trip to Switzerland in the third match of the group stage as the leading team after winning both previous matches. They want 3 points to get closer to the ticket to the 1/8 round of the Champions League and create good psychological momentum for the Super Sunday match with the team from the same city in the Premier League this weekend.
The defending champion encountered certain difficulties in the first half when Young Boys proactively played deep. In the second half, Manuel Akanji broke the deadlock for the away team in the 48th minute. However, the Swiss team equalized just 4 minutes later.
At this time, Manchester City must attack to regain their advantage and a familiar name – Erling Haaland shined with two goals to help them get 9 absolute points after 3 matches. Previously, the Norwegian striker went 5 consecutive matches without scoring in the European arena.
This result is of great significance to Man City as they only need one more victory in the remaining 3 matches of the return leg, and they will definitely have a ticket to the knockout round.
In the 2022/2023 season, the 23-year-old superstar has an incredible scoring record with 52 goals, 12 of which came from Europe’s No. 1 tournament to help the Manchester club win the first treble in history. . But Erling Halaand did not score in the first two matches of this year’s group stage, and that put the striker under great pressure. Evaluating his student’s performance, coach Pep Guardiola said:
Erling Haaland contributed greatly to Man City’s victory.
“He is under pressure from what happened last season, and the seasons before that. Everyone expected Haaland to score 7 goals per match but that is impossible.
“He is happy. He has scored a lot of goals. People want Erling to fail after scoring 52 goals last season. Maybe at some point this season, Haaland will even better, especially in the Champions League.
“We are really pleased to have him – a very humble person who always wants to score goals. Currently, Haaland participates more in the team’s ball development process. I don’t want him to just appear. in the penalty area waiting for a chance to score.
“Because if he participates in developing the ball with his teammates, he will be smarter in choosing a position near the opponent’s goal. I have no doubt that Haaland always wants to improve.”
In addition, Pep Guardiola was also satisfied with the team’s performance, launching 26 shots and holding the ball for more than 68% of the match.
Pep instructs his students before the match.
The Manchester City manager is particularly proud of the way his team moves on Wankdorf Stadium’s artificial turf.
“The results are very good. Nine out of nine,” he said.
“Our players’ positioning is very special. I want them to play short balls on artificial turf because long passes are more difficult to control.
“We could have scored more goals, but the important thing was to create opportunities. Overall, this was a very good match for the whole team. I am satisfied with my students.”
(Reader: Thinh Nguyen)
BongDa.com.vn | 09:47 October 26, 2023
