World is left astounded as Erling Haaland nets a goal
The sensational Erling Haaland once again proved his prowess, scoring an age-defying goal in the Champions League that left Manchester City's management in awe. This isn't the first time he's pulled off such a feat. After a stint of difficulties, the Norwegian striker is back at his best.
On a recent Wednesday, Haaland became the talk of the town for all the right reasons. It had been a while since he made headlines. The 24-year-old Norwegian was on the brink of becoming football's newest villain. He still might be, but if he does, he'll be a villain who scores goals of unfathomable brilliance.
The event was as unbelievable as it was incredible. Everyone agreed. He had only scored one goal, not even one he hadn't scored before. But the stage was different, the world too. And Erling Haaland turned into a scorpion. This other world, from the year 2024, is free from pandemic restrictions, and Haaland no longer plays for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Here, everything is a bit grander. Manchester City, England, the Champions League, and then this: A scorpion kick, a martial arts goal, and chaos everywhere.
"He's a freak," said his teammate Phil Foden. "That's not normal for a human. He's a statue," said his coach Pep Guardiola. "He might be the best striker in the world," said Lars Friis, the coach of Slavia Prague, the unfortunate opponent that night at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. City had just defeated the Prague team 5-0 (1-0). But the result didn't matter, Haaland did.
44 goals in 42 games
But what happened? Savinho had managed to break through on the right wing in the 58th minute. A minute earlier, his cross had gone into the penalty area and found Haaland. He had looked for a decision with his head in the 57th minute, but now he jumped with his back to the goal, lifted his left foot, and moved the ball towards the goal with his heel at head height. The ball bounced and flew over the helpless Slavia keeper Peter Vindahl into the net. Haaland smiled.
When the Norwegian left the field in the 81st minute, and the 19-year-old Englishman Nico O'Reilly came on for his Champions League debut, Haaland had added another to his tally, taking his Champions League goal count to an astonishing 44 in just 42 games. He is already 16th on the all-time scorers list in Europe's top competition.
His 43rd goal left everyone speechless, as you've already read. "I didn't even know how he scored," Guardiola raved after the game. "He scored a fantastic goal. He might have 15 or 20 touches in the whole game, but seven or eight of them are chances. It's incredible."
What happened in Gelsenkirchen in 2021
Then Guardiola reminded the world that the extraordinary Haaland had scored a goal just like that before. It was February 20, 2021. The stadiums were empty again, and FC Schalke 04 was still in the Bundesliga. That's where Borussia Dortmund had to play that day.
With the score at 1-0 for BVB just before half-time, Haaland controlled a pass from Jadon Sancho from the halfway line in the air and scored with a scissor kick. But unlike against Slavia, Haaland didn't use his heel then. Lothar Matthäus was already cheering minutes later on Sky. He dubbed the Norwegian "Kung-Fu Haaland," and the rest of the football world took notice.
"I didn't know which goal was better," Guardiola said, and teammate Matheus Nunes was simply amazed. "What an incredible goal. It left me speechless," he said. "When he scored like that for Dortmund before, I only saw it on TV. Now I got to witness it. Unbelievable!" Guardiola agreed with the "unbelievable" part. "He's a statue," he added. But you've already read that further up.
Haaland was in the spotlight
Yet, Haaland's season hadn't been going well so far. Not only had the usual restless press been murmuring after three consecutive goalless Premier League games, but they had also unusually harshly criticized his behavior in the 2:2 draw against Arsenal on September 22.
There, Haaland seemed to be slipping into the role of the villain in English football and beyond. After City's dramatic equalizer in stoppage time, the Norwegian took the ball out of the net after John Stones' goal and threw it quite directly and with full force onto the back of Arsenal player Gabriel Jesus' head. There was no on-field punishment, but the criticism in the media was loud.
Haaland's behavior also caused a stir in Norway's debacle in Austria in the UEFA Nations League. After the 1:5 defeat, he avoided all questions. "Especially in tough times, you want answers from those involved, so it's not good that he's not answering our questions," said expert Kristoffer Lokberg from broadcaster NRK.
That the superstar didn't want to face the uncomfortable questions was "a shame." At least, the top striker later spoke up via Instagram: "Sorry for the whole thing. Everything was bad on my part," he wrote. A day after his goal against Slavia, he used Instagram again to "express himself." Haaland shared five pictures of his incredible goal and adorned them with five scorpion emojis. That's all he said.
Jadon Sancho played a crucial role in Haaland's scissor kick goal against Schalke in 2021, debuting the nickname "Kung-Fu Haaland" for the Norwegian striker. After a difficult start to the season, Haaland found his form once again and scored an impressive scorpion kick in a Champions League game, leaving Guardiola and Foden in awe.
