Man City vs Copenhagen recap: Erling Haaland scored two more goals to bring his season tally to 19 in 11 games as the two-time defending Premier League champions hammered Danish side Copenhagen 5-0 at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
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Haaland scored goals no. 1 and 2 for Manchester City before Pep Guardiola brought him off at halftime, up 3-0 following an own goal (caused by Haaland) not long before the break. Riyad Mahrez added the fourth from the penalty spot and Julian Alvarez bagged his first UCL goal to complete the scoring.
That’s three wins from three games for Man City in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Their lead over 2nd-place Borussia Dortmund remains three points after the Bundesliga side also won on Wednesday. City and Dortmund will meet in Germany on matchday 5.
Six minutes fifty seconds. Erling Haaland. Again. pic.twitter.com/gQSL16XE6T
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 5, 2022
Erling Haaland CANNOT stop scoring.
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 5, 2022
Pep's reaction says it all. 😅 pic.twitter.com/SyrGnCbHUw
What we learned from Man City vs Copenhagen
Total and complete dominance, as expect, from Manchester City
Copenhagen attempted all of two shots in 90 minutes on Wednesday, the first of which didn’t come until the 72nd minute, at which point Man City had already attempted 24. Haaland took four himself, in just 45 minutes, as the midfield playmakers (Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo on Wednesday) continue to simply feed the monster.
Whereas possession used to aimlessly loiter around the penalty area, Manchester City now look to exploit the space in behind the defense anytime it presents itself. The runs that Haaland makes — perhaps the best part of his game, by the way — pose a constant and eternal threat to opposing defenses, particularly when Kevin De Bruyne is pulling the strings, leaving most anyone and everyone in their path (and their wake) wondering what exactly you’re supposed to do.
If anyone has ideas, please share them.
How to watch Manchester City vs Copenhagen live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Wednesday
TV Channel: TUDN, Paramount+
Online: Updates via NBCSports.com
Key storylines + in-form players to keep an eye on
This time, we can combine the “key storylines” and “in-form players” sections: It’s Phil Foden and Erling Haaland.
Let’s focus on the latter.
Erling Haaland is threatening to put up season numbers that would seem impossible were we not to have experience Lionel Messi’s 2011-12 season at Barcelona. That season saw Messi score 50 goals and 19 assists in La Liga while adding 20 more goals and nine assists in other competitions.
The match total? 53.
That works out to 1.4 goals and 0.4 assists per game.
Haaland? So far he has 17 goals and three assists in 11 matches, good for... 1.54 goals and 0.27 assists per game.
So, yes, Haaland is currently on his “Messi prime” grind.
The lowdown on Copenhagen
Copenhagen enters this match hoping that star goalkeeper -- ex-Brighton starter -- Mathew Ryan can help shut down an incredible City attack.
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options
John Stones (thigh), Kalvin Phillips (shoulder), and Kyle Walker (muscular) are set to miss the match, while Rodri (lower leg) faces a late fitness test.
🔵 #UCL Team News 🔵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 5, 2022
XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Gomez, Mahrez, Gundogan (C), Bernardo, Grealish, Alvarez, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Akanji, Foden, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand#ManCity pic.twitter.com/7me9CPkLq2
