Erling Haaland maintained his phenomenal Champions League scoring rate with two more as Manchester City eased to a 5-0 win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
Phil Foden, John Stones and Matheus Nunes also struck as City broke a Manchester United record for the most consecutive games unbeaten in the competition in a one-sided contest at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland’s double took his goal tally to a remarkable 44 in 42 Champions League outings, his first being a gravity-defying backheel volley after Foden had opened the scoring.
He then claimed his 13th of the season with a smart finish after Stones had headed his third of the campaign, while a late Nunes penalty wrapped up the game.
Three of City’s goals came in a blistering nine-minute spell in the second half as Pep Guardiola’s side extended their unbeaten run in Europe’s elite competition to a record 26 games.
That eclipsed the previous best of 25 set by rivals United from 2007-09, with City’s only loss since the 2022 semi-finals coming via a penalty shoot-out after two draws against Real Madrid.
The victory took them to seven points after three games of the league phase, putting them on course for the next stage.
They did not need to hit top gear to see off the Czechs, and made light of the absence of Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku, who became the latest additions to their injury list prior to the match.
City got off to a superb start as Foden put them ahead after just three minutes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/j8fXc2kGW0
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 23, 2024
The England international took a pass from Manuel Akanji outside the area and drove forward, readjusting well to a heavy touch to fire a low shot into the bottom corner.
City went close to a second soon after
Man City
soccer
UEFA Champions League
Jack Grealish
Pep Guardiola
Phil Foden
Erling Haaland
John Stones
Manuel Akanji
Matheus Nunes
Jeremy Doku
Etihad Stadium