Video: Erling Haaland reaches Champions League milestone after brace against Real Madrid
Erling Haaland continues to make waves in the Champions League, and his remarkable consistency shows no signs of slowing down. With a brace against Real Madrid, the Manchester City star has reached another milestone in Europe’s most prestigious competition.
Despite Real Madrid pushing forward and creating more opportunities, City made the most of their chances. A lobbed pass from Jack Grealish found defender Josko Gvardiol, who expertly controlled the ball with his chest, delivering the ball to Haaland. The Norwegian striker then finished the play with a clinical strike over Thibaut Courtois. After a brief VAR check for offside, the goal was confirmed as legitimate.
Real Madrid equalized through Kylian Mbappe, but in the 76th minute, Phil Foden won a penalty for City. Haaland stepped up to take it and, in the 80th minute, completed his brace, putting his team back in the lead.
With his goal against Real Madrid, Haaland joined an exclusive group as the 10th all-time top scorer in the Champions League. The Manchester City forward now has 49 goals, surpassing legends Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Andriy Shevchenko, who have 48.
Not only does this goal elevate Haaland into the top 10, but it also underscores his remarkable consistency. He has now scored 49 goals in just 48 Champions League appearances, while also contributing 5 assists.
Erling Haaland breaks his curse against Real Madrid
Although Haaland has been in top form with Manchester City, one challenge remained: scoring against Real Madrid. In his fifth encounter with Los Blancos, Haaland finally found the back of the net.
His first two meetings came in the 2022-23 Champions League semifinals, where City triumphed 5-1 on aggregate, but Haaland failed to score. The next two encounters came in the 2023-24 quarterfinals, where City drew 4-4 on aggregate, but Real Madrid advanced on penalties.