Haaland scores 29th goal of the season as City enter the Champions League QF
MANCHESTER CITY may have gotten a helping hand from the man in the mask.
But their superiority could not be disguised as they won their tenth consecutive Champions League title.
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Former Liverpool keeper Kamil Grabara was left red-faced as he fumbled Julian Alvarez’s cross into his net early on.
But fortunately for the Pole, his face was covered, so his blush was spared.
What would Pep Guardiola give for such a sound from one of the current Reds squad in Sunday’s title clash at Anfield?
In any case, his team will make the short journey along the M62 to their bogey site confident – and in many cases fully rested.
Because many of his stars who put Manchester United to the sword on Sunday were given the evening off to prepare.
Erling Haaland was not one of them. He is still feeling fresh after a two-month injury break in his season and played 88 minutes.
Needless to say, the Norwegian got the goal you almost expect from him in this competition, taking his total for the season to 29.
If the first leg in Denmark three weeks ago was a walk in The Parks, this was more of a meander.
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Phil Foden’s injury-time goal in Denmark had put this last-16 tie all but beyond doubt.
It made this second leg a formality, but that wasn’t a bad thing for Pep Guardiola as it fell between important Prem games against Manchester United and Liverpool.
He was able to make seven changes and thus played the second youngest team ever in this competition.
Still, the students were clearly looking forward to it, as they blew away any lingering doubts within the first ten minutes.
Less than five had passed when Alvarez – back on set pieces with Kevin De Bruyne on the bench – curled a corner from the right.
Defender Manuel Akanji swung at it with his right boot and his effort fizzled into the top corner.
The Swiss was Haaland’s teammate at Borussia Dortmund and here at City and it was a finish the Norwegian would have been proud of.
Grabara never saw it – but he had no excuses for the nightmare he endured shortly afterwards.
Rodri headed his header against the crossbar, but the rebound fell to Alvarez on the left flank.
The Argentinian fluttered over a cross that should have gone straight down the Polish keeper’s throat, but somehow let it squirm through his hands.
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Alvarez almost looked embarrassed as he walked away celebrating with no hiding place for Grabara.
Scotland international Scott McKenna from Copenhagen must have feared the worst at that moment.
On his last trip here – with Nottingham Forest in 2022 – he was on the wrong end of a 6-0 hiding.
But with their passage to the quarter-finals secured for the seventh season in a row, City took their foot off the accelerator.
It was always going to be a huge ask for the Danes, who faced the holders straight from their winter break last month.
But their fans were determined to enjoy themselves and just before the half-hour mark they got the goal they craved.
Former Southampton striker Mohammed Elyounoussi met a smart move from Orri Oskarsson and finished clinically past Ederson.
That was their first ever goal in the knockout stages of this competition – so at least they had made a bit of history.
Elyounoussi is an international team-mate of Haaland and perhaps the City striker felt a little left out.
Because he plucked a Rodri pass out of the night air during stoppage time in the first half, drifted past McKenna before wrong-footing Grabara from the edge of the penalty area.
That made it season 29 for the £51.4million forward – and don’t forget he missed two months of that due to a foot injury.
It was also his 41st goal in a competition he loves so much – equaling the tally of a certain Sergio Aguero, who didn’t do too badly in these areas.
Guardiola’s men have now scored three or more goals in nine consecutive Champions League home games – no one will be looking forward to reaching the last eight here.
Rodri had done enough to extend his personal unbeaten run to 60 and at half-time he was given a well-deserved breather by Guardiola.
In fairness, the Spaniard didn’t miss much – Ederson made a flying save to deny substitute Magnus Mattson – while Oscar Bobb’s deflected shot hit the crossbar.
Meanwhile, City’s summer signing Matheus Nunes was forced off with what appeared to be an extremely painful dislocated finger
But otherwise it was as comfortable as you could have wished for City: in preparation for their biggest game of the season.
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