Haaland’s Heroics Lead City to 5-0 Victory Over Sparta

Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland put on a show as he scored twice, including a jaw-dropping acrobatic finish, in City’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Sparta.

October 23, 2024
9:14 pm

Erling Haaland was back in action, leading Manchester City to a fantastic 5-0 win over AC Sparta Prague in the UEFA Champions League. The Norwegian striker scored twice, including an amazing acrobatic goal, as City breezed past a previously unbeaten Sparta team. With his goals, Haaland jumped ahead of Alessandro Del Piero and Neymar in the all-time UCL scoring charts, keeping his incredible European streak alive.

Sparta came to the Etihad unbeaten in eight UCL matches, but they quickly found themselves on the back foot against the reigning champs. Just three minutes in, Phil Foden put City ahead with a brilliant shot from the edge of the box after some slick teamwork with Manuel Akanji. He dodged two defenders and curled his shot into the far corner, setting the stage for a tough night for the Czech side.

Even though City dominated, Sparta had a brief chance to equalize when Veljko Birmančević went one-on-one with City keeper Stefan Ortega, but his low shot was expertly saved. That moment of danger didn’t last long, as City soon took full control of the game.

After a first half that was tighter than expected, City came out even stronger in the second. Nathan Aké had a goal disallowed for handball, but it wasn’t long before Haaland delivered some magic. In the 59th minute, a cross from Savinho found him, and he leapt into the air to score with a stunning back-heel finish, leaving Sparta’s Peter Vindahl Jensen helpless.

City kept the momentum going. John Stones added a third with a looping header from a Matheus Nunes cross, and Haaland completed his brace with a classic finish, cutting inside his defender to curl in City’s fourth. Nunes wrapped up the scoring from the penalty spot after being fouled late in the match by Sparta’s Ángelo Preciado.

Although City couldn’t top the UCL group standings due to an earlier draw with Inter Milan, this emphatic win over Sparta Prague puts them on track for qualification. As for Sparta, their unbeaten run had to end somewhere, and they’ll be eager to bounce back when they host Stade Brestois in their next European match.