Guardiola is tired of constantly praising Haaland

Pep Guardiola joked he was tired of constantly praising Erling Haaland, after the Norwegian striker scored in a 3-2 comeback win over RB Leipzig and set another Champions League record.

Last weekend, Haaland scored in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool to break the record for the fastest time to reach 50 goals in the Premier League, in just 48 games. The previous record belonged to former striker Andy Cole with 65 games.

In yesterday's match against RB Leipzig, Haaland continued to contribute a goal to break the record of the player who needed the fewest matches to reach the 40-goal mark in the Champions League, with only 35 matches. Following the Norwegian striker are Ruud van Nistelrooy with 45 matches and Kylian Mbappe with 59 matches. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski both needed 61 matches to score 40 goals in Europe's most prestigious club arena.

"Again? Do I have to tell you again?" Guardiola said, looking bored, then laughing, at his post-RB Leipzig press conference when asked about Haaland's latest record. "A thousand million times, I'm impressed. Another record. Congratulations. Haaland is a great player. We love Haaland, not only for his goals but for many other things."

Guardiola during Man City's comeback win over RB Leipzig at Etihad Stadium in the fifth round of Group G of the Champions League at Etihad Stadium on November 28. Photo: mancity.com — Guardiola during Man City's comeback win over RB Leipzig at Etihad Stadium in the fifth round of Group G of the Champions League at Etihad Stadium on November 28. Photo: *mancity.com*

At the Etihad yesterday, RB Leipzig caused a surprise when they led 2-0 thanks to a brace from striker Lois Openda in the first half. It was the first time Man City had been two goals down in the Champions League since 2018.

But Haaland's strike in the 54th minute sparked a comeback for the home team. Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez scored in the 70th and 87th minutes respectively to help Man City come from two goals down at half-time in the Champions League for the first time in six previous attempts.

The 3-2 result ensured City became the second team to secure top spot in their Champions League group this season, after Bayern in Group A, also with a perfect record. Guardiola was pleased that City had secured their place in the last 16 as winners, but saw the poor start to the campaign against RB Leipzig as a warning for a difficult journey ahead.

"If we talk about the ticket to the next round as top, it was a great night. We got 15 absolute points," said the Spanish coach. "If we talk about the match, we have to do much better when conceding sloppy goals. In football, you have to win duels and play solidly. We have had two warnings already. The same with the strikers, when we had many chances but missed. Maybe in the future, winning in this way is a good thing. We felt uncomfortable and realized we have to do better."

On December 3, Man City continues to play at home at Etihad Stadium against Tottenham in round 14 of the Premier League.

Hong Duy

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