Just when it looked like a way had been found to contain the Manchester City juggernaut, Haaland produced a moment of absolute brilliance to take down former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Getty Don’t customize your screen. Haaland really scored from here bt sports Haaland moments after the goal suggests he is surprising even himself The 22-year-old Norwegian showed incredible acrobatics to fire in the decisive goal, which saw him raise his left foot about six feet in the air as he got on the end of Joao Cancelo’s superb cross from the left. The goal was a superhuman effort, suggested talkSPORT’s Mickey Gray. “That’s 26 in 21 for Erling Haaland in Champions League football, it’s just unbelievable,” Gray said in commentary. “Next time this guy steps on the football field he’s wearing a cape! He is so good. “You don’t see him for 75 minutes … what a superstar they’ve got on their hands.” Haaland now has 13 goals in just nine appearances for Manchester City and his lethal play in the box is reminiscent of Jason Cady, one of English football’s greatest poachers.
“He’s becoming one of the most incredible forwards,” Cuddy told The Sports Bar. “I haven’t seen him lace up yet. He doesn’t need to because he just hits the ball. It’s a caressed karate kick… it’s an outrageous finish. “He is a scorer at six meters. Gary Lineker was like that, this is ten times Gary Lineker, this is Gary Lineker on steroids!’ Candy added. Getty Gary Lineker knew exactly where the goal was Getty But Haaland offers much more, Cundy believes However, Haaland’s exploits reminded Pep Guardiola of an even greater icon of the game – Johan Cruyff. The Dutch icon, Guardiola’s former coach, scored a stunning goal with the outside of his right heel for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid in the 1973/74 season. “What a goal,” said the City boss of Haaland’s strike. “I remember a long time ago in Barcelona Johan Cruyff scored a quite similar one against Atletico Madrid. It’s nice that Erling imitated Johan Cruyff. “Perhaps people who know me know Cruyff’s influence on my life as a person, a mentor and a manager. Years ago he scored at Camp Nou and scored against Atleti. He was quite similar to Haaland and the moment he scored it I felt Cruyff.” He added of his Norwegian superstar: “I remember my dear friend a bit [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, who has that ability to put his foot on the roof, and Erling are quite similar in that. “I think it’s his nature. He’s elastic, he’s flexible and he has the ability to make contact and put the ball in the net.” Haaland’s record in the Champions League is amazing. He has 26 goals in just 21 European games and despite Dortmund keeping him quiet for long periods, he couldn’t stop this moment of magic. His confidence was clear when asked about Dortmund’s ability to stop him for long periods. His response: “I wasn’t stopped, I scored!” What a superstar.