Erling Haaland quickly found his scoring touch as Manchester City came out on top in a eight-goal pre-season friendly goal-fest against Yokohama F Marinos on Sunday.
The Norwegian striker was brought on at half-time having watched his City teammates recover from a two-goal deficit in the opening 45 minutes in Tokyo, thanks to finishes from John Stones and Julian Alvarez just before the break.
And it took Haaland – who scored 52 goals across all competitions for treble winners City last season – just seven minutes to find the target at the Japan National Stadium when he turned inside the box and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Midfielder Rodi made it 4-2 with a sweet finish from distance in the 71st minute with a before Marinos pulled a goal back – but, inevitably, Haaland had the last word when he tapped home from close range to make it 5-3. “Compared to last season he is fitter,” said manager Pep Gaurdiola. “He is much better than last season when he arrived.