Erling Haaland on Tuesday became the fastest player to score 40 UEFA Champions League goals as Manchester City came from 2-0 down to beat RB Leipzig 3-2.
Manchester City bounced back from 2-0 down to beat RB Leipzig with both teams already qualified
The defending champions were on course for their first European defeat at the Etihad since 2018 when Lois Openda took advantage of shambolic defending to score twice in the first half.
Photo: AFP
Haaland reduced City’s arrears before goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez secured them the top spot in Group G.
“The first half was the worst I’ve seen us,” Foden said. “Came out second half, played a lot better and changed the game. This team has got a great mentality for that.”
City have now won 27 of their last 29 Champions League home games since they last tasted defeat.
Photo: AP
Leipzig have been regular victims during that run and were humbled 7-0 on their last trip to the Etihad in March, but Guardiola headed down the tunnel at half-time shaking his head at what he had seen from the European champions.
City dominated possession and territory, but were undone by two moments of carelessness from the normally reliable Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias.
The in-form Openda showed his poise after Akanji let the Belgian latch onto a long-ball from Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to finish past Stefan Ortega.
Haaland uncharacteristically missed a great chance to equalize as the Norwegian blasted over and Rico Lewis was also wayward with a clear sight of the goal.
Yet as City camped in the Leipzig half, one more long-ball caught out Guardiola’s men as Dias dived in and Openda galloped clear to score his 13th goal of the season.
“We conceded too much defenseively. You have to win your duels,” said Guardiola.
“We reacted really well second half and yeah we are first in the group so very satisfied with the reaction,” he added.
BARCELONA VS PORTO
AFP, BARCELONA
Barcelona on Tuesday came from behind to beat Porto 2-1 and reach the UEFA Champions League knock-out rounds for the first time in three seasons, with coach Xavi saying it was “an important step” for the club.
Brazilian winger Pepe sent Porto ahead, but Barcelona’s Portuguese duo, Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix, both netted to turn the game on its head.
The former SL Benfica pair pounced against their old club’s rivals to ensure Xavi’s team would not face a humiliating group stage exit as they did in both of the past two seasons.
“Today we are very happy, it’s an important step in the project, it’s very positive for the club,” Xavi told reporters. “It’s important, the team has grown, we beat a really good team, it’s a day to be very content and satisfied.”
Defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk in Hamburg in their previous European match made Barca nervous, with poor performances domestically adding to their jitters. Despite conceding first, Cancelo quickly leveled and he set up Felix in the second half for the winner to delight Barca’s fans at the Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill.
“It was a final and we won it... We’ve put the club in the last 16, which is where it deserves to be,” Cancelo told Movistar. “When results don’t come, your confidence is not the same.”
PSG VS NEWCASTLE
AFP, PARIS
A 98th-minute Kylian Mbappe penalty on Tuesday earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw with Newcastle United that keeps the French club in a position to qualify for the last 16 and leaves their opponents in serious danger of a group-stage exit.
It looked as though Newcastle — who won 4-1 when the sides met at St James’ Park last month — were going to leave Paris with all three points in the Group F encounter thanks to Alexander Isak’s 25th-minute opener.
PSG had run out of ideas by the time they were gifted an opportunity to salvage a draw in injury time when the video assistant referee (VAR) decided a Tino Livramento handball in the box was worthy of a penalty.
Mbappe made no mistake, and PSG hold onto second place in the group behind Borussia Dortmund, who won 3-1 away to AC Milan and are through to the last 16.
The French champions are join them with a win in Dortmund in their final group game, while Newcastle now have to win at home to Milan and hope PSG slip up.
“I feel it is a poor decision,” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said of the penalty. “It is hugely frustrating for us because at that moment you know how little time there is left in the game, but there is nothing we can do about it now.”
Howe’s side would have been out with a defeat, so at least they remain in contention, while avoiding a third defeat in five group games allows PSG to hold off the threat of a first elimination from the Champions League before the last 16 in the Qatar era.
“We should have won, without a doubt. I think it was a very complete performance from us,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.
“We were better than Newcastle, but that’s football,” he added, before saying he had not seen the crucial penalty incident.
“I don’t dedicate myself to looking at VAR decisions. I am only dedicated to improving my team,” he said.
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