BSC Young Boys Bern vs Manchester City. UEFA Champions League Group G.
Stade de SuisseAttendance31,500.
Report as Manchester City maintained their 100 per cent start to their Champions League defence with a 3-1 win at Young Boys; Manuel Akanji opened the scoring after half-time but Meschack Elia equalised immediately; Erling Haaland struck twice in the second half to seal the points
Thursday 26 October 2023 13:01, UK
Erling Haaland ended his Champions League goal drought with a second-half double to earn Manchester City a 3-1 win at Young Boys and maintain the holders' 100 per cent record in the group stage.
The Norwegian had gone five games, equating to 543 minutes, in the competition without a goal - and missed six more good chances in Bern - but ended his barren spell with a penalty and then a rasping right-footed shot, after City were given a scare in Switzerland.
After a goalless first half where City missed a host of first-half chances, Manuel Akanji gave the visitors the lead on the defender's return to his homeland, but the treble winners were pegged back immediately as Meschack Elia scored a wonderful chip over Ederson on the break.
City saw a Julian Alvarez goal ruled out by VAR for a Jack Grealish handball in the build-up, but Haaland was the ultimate matchwinner as he scored from the spot with just over 20 minutes to go after Rodri was fouled, before putting a high finish into the net in the final minutes of the game.
The result means City need one win from their remaining three Champions League games to qualify for the knockout stages, while attention for Pep Guardiola's side turns to Sunday's Manchester derby against local rivals United, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 3.30pm.
Asked whether Haaland's mixed day in front of goal was a concern to him, Guardiola sarcastically responded to TNT Sports: "A lot, a lot. I'm so concerned about that.
"It's important, all the time, to have chances. People expect him to score four goals every time, people want him to fail. But I'm sorry, he's going to score all his life with the chances and the incredible threat.
"We missed sometimes the players who have the ability to find the pass and the tempo like Kevin [De Bruyne] and [Ilkay Gundogan], these type of players.
"But all the games he had a lot of chances so it's about playing as much good as possible because he's going to score until the last days he plays football"
Despite City dominating the first half in Bern, it was actually Young Boys who generated the first chance in the opening minute of the game, as Joel Monteiro fed Filip Ugrinic in the penalty area but Ederson was equal to his rasping drive.
On came the City onslaught as Rodri headed a corner wide from close range, before Matheus Nunes scooped over from inside the box after good work down the left from Grealish.
Haaland then saw the first of many good efforts bounce wide when played in down the right of the box. The Norwegian then scuffed an effort straight at Young Boys goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi from another testing Grealish cross.
Then came City's best chance of the first half as Grealish let fly from the left, only for Racioppi to drop his catch straight onto Nunes. The ball was bouncing towards the goalline but Loris Benito hacked the ball off the line just in time.
Jeremy Doku saw two strikes saved by Racioppi - though Young Boys had their first-half chances too, with Cedric Itten testing Ederson before then heading over from a corner - while Sandro Lauper was denied a one-on-one with a last-ditch tackle by Nathan Ake.
City started the second half with a lot of intent, with Akanji striking the post with a deflected header from a corner - but the visitors eventually found their breakthrough from the resulting set-piece.
Another corner was cleared as far as Rodri, who clipped a ball in for Ruben Dias to strike the crossbar. The rebound fell for Akanji to bundle the ball into the net.
But nobody saw a Young Boys fightback coming - and the move for the equaliser actually came from a Haaland chance. He struck a drive straight at Racioppi, who then rolled the ball out to Cheikh Niasse, who played Elia through on goal.
The Young Boys forward had a lot to do but put a deft chip over Ederson and into the net. The home side put on some pressure for a winner as Itten hit a long-range drive which Ederson had to parry - but then City hit back at the other end for their second.
A mazy Grealish run ended with the England winger having a shot blocked, but the rebound fell to Rodri who was clumsily felled in the box. Haaland stepped up and while Racioppi guessed right and got a touch to the spot-kick, he could not keep it out.
The Norwegian was not smiling moments later as he fired over when found unmarked at the back post from Doku's cross, while more frustration ensued for City as substitute Alvarez saw a slick goal ruled out for a handball by Grealish in the build-up.
But after Haaland saw another one-on-one saved by Racioppi and Grealish also denied by the goalkeeper, the City No 9 got his rewards by shuffling the ball out of his feet in the box before crashing a right-footed effort high into the net.
Bernardo Silva and Alvarez went close in the last moments but as the final whistle went - attention moved away to Sunday's Manchester derby.
After the game, Guardiola praised his side in overcoming the challenges of the artificial pitch in Switzerland. Young Boys' Wankdorf Stadium hosts a synthetic surface and the City manager revealed his side felt the change from their usual grass surface.
"It was an exceptional game. Our positional game was really, really, really, really good," Guardiola told TNT Sports.
"In the first half, we lacked, due to the physicality of them, being aggressive in the one-v-ones and Mateo (Kovacic) was a bit away from the position where he should be. In the second half, Mateo helped us to win the game.
"But in general, all of them were exceptional so I'm really really pleased for the way we played. We have one more game to qualify automatically and two more to finish first.
"In this pitch, it's more difficult to sense the ball coming. It came in a different shape so it's more difficult. But the way we played in our positional game was really good."
On Haaland, Guardiola claimed there is no pressure on him too score more goals, adding: "There is the impression after last season that he has to score seven goals every single game. That is impossible.
"But he is scoring a lot of goals and if people want him to fail because he doesn't score 50 goals it doesn't matter. He is always there.
"The second goal was really good and he had other chances. The important thing is to create them.
"Maybe in the right moment of the season he will be there, better than now, but he has already scored a lot of goals and we are really pleased.
"I've told him many times I don't judge him for scoring goals, although I know he wants to score goals. He has the desire to improve and I don't have doubts about that."
Andy Hinchcliffe on Soccer Special:
"It was a game City were expected to win, they did, they deserved to, three out of three in the Champions League, so
they are getting the job done in terms of qualification, Young Boys to come at home next if they can win that one.
"From a coaching point of view, Pep will look at that and be most disappointed with the Elia goal, Lewis was out of position and that made it a bit tricky for City.
"But in terms of the chances, City created so many and on another day they could have had double figures, they scored three and coaches always say they are happier to be creating chances and missing them, than not creating any at all.
"City are always going to create chances and if you are a Man Utd player watching that tonight, you are not looking at City and thinking, 'well, they are not in good goalscoring mood,' as if they get it right and they could very easily get it right in that Manchester derby, then they could put Man Utd to the sword because we saw them again being relentless tonight and that is what got them over the line and that is why they are European champions..."
November 7: Young Boys (H) - kick-off 8pm
November 28: RB Leipzig (H) - kick-off 8pm
December 13: Crvena Zvezda (A) - kick-off 5.45pm
Manchester City face rivals Man Utd at Old Trafford on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 3.30pm.
Meanwhile, Young Boys travel to Lugano on Sunday; kick-off 3.30pm.
