Erling Haaland proved once again that his knack for scoring goals seems to know no bounds. The Norwegian forward scored a brace in Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Porto in his Champions League debut this season, thereby reaching a milestone previously held by Sergio Agüero, the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Climbing up the ladder
The two goals against the Dragons brought Haaland’s career total to 59 goals in 59 Champions League matches. With that tally, the striker surpassed Thomas Müller and moved into seventh place on the competition’s all-time scoring list.
But the statistic that drew the most attention came while he was wearing the Manchester City jersey. Haaland reached 36 goals with the Sky Blues in the Champions League—the same total that Sergio Agüero scored during his time with the English club.
The difference lies in the speed with which the two reached that total. While the Argentine forward needed 65 matches to score 36 goals, Haaland did so in just 40.
If the Norwegian maintains his current scoring pace, he could reach the 59 goals he scored in his career by the time he plays the same number of matches that Agüero played to reach 36 goals with Manchester City.
Big praise from new teammate Enzo Fernández
Haaland’s performance also drew praise from his teammate Enzo Fernández, who played a direct role in the first goal of the match against Porto.
“Obviously, we know Erling Haaland’s quality and the impact he has on opponents. He’s a beast. I’m going to look for him in every game we play together—he’s a goal-scoring machine,” said the midfielder.
Fernández also highlighted his personal relationship with the striker: “He’s also an amazing person; he welcomed me very warmly, so I hope today’s assist is the first of many.”
A big victory for City, led by Erling Haaland
Haaland’s second goal came late in the match. Rayan Aït-Nouri set up the striker, who opened up with his right foot and finished past the onrushing Diogo Costa to seal the 2-0 victory.
Thus, Manchester City overcame a challenging away match against Porto and kicked off its Champions League campaign with a victory, while Haaland once again etched his name alongside Agüero’s in the club’s scoring history.
