Erling Haaland ended his five-game goal drought as Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League last 16 with a 2-0 victory over Galatasaray.
Pep Guardiola’s side had faced the unwanted prospect of a two-legged play-off in February after their shock defeat at Bodo/Glimt last week, but they comfortably saw off the Turkish champions at the Etihad.
City should have taken the lead inside the opening three minutes, but Haaland headed Rayan Aït-Nouri’s pinpoint cross wide from eight yards out.
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The Norwegian quickly made amends, latching onto Jeremy Doku’s through ball and delicately lifting his finish over the onrushing Ugurcan Çakir to end his barren run in open play.
Nico O’Reilly’s thunderous long-range effort was then tipped over the bar by Çakir, but the dominant hosts doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark when Doku laid the ball off for Rayan Cherki to smash home an emphatic finish.
Having provided the assists for both goals, Doku was forced off with an injury in the 37th minute.
Galatasaray’s best chances fell to Nigeria international Victor Osimhen, but his flicked header and low drive were both kept out by Gianluigi Donnarumma as City sealed a comfortable win.
Anthony Nlebem
Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.
