Erling Haaland grabbed the headlines once again during Manchester City’s 5-0 win over Sparta Prague in the Champions League.
With the score at 1-0 thanks to Phil Foden’s opener, Haaland doubled City’s lead in the 58th minute.
He didn’t score in any old fashion though, the 24-year-old got on the end of a cross from Savinho by backheeling the ball into the net in mid-air whilst twisting his body away from the goal.
After the game, Matheus Nunes said he was left speechless by Haaland’s acrobatic goal.
Following that, a range of pundits had their say on what they saw from the City striker and his latest eye-catching goal for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad Stadium.
Let’s take a look at what some of those pundits said on the matter.
Pundits react to Haaland’s acrobatic goal in Man City vs Sparta Prague
Steph Houghton – “That finish was something else. He is the only striker in the world who can score from those positions.” (via BBC Sport)
Joleon Lescott – “It was a unique finish. It is not a finish many strikers would attempt or even execute. It is unique to him and his athleticism.” (via TNT Sports)
Jon Macken – “You don’t even try it. That is the unusual thing. You might do something stupid in training when you are mucking around, but to do it in a serious manner like [he] did – because there was intent there and he did mean to do it – it was like a backheel scissor kick in a crazy way. But he does things like that, he always surprises you.” (via BBC Sport)
Martin Keown – “This is the finish that has got us all talking. It’s like a Kung-fu kick but a scorpion scoop. He puts a leg out there he’s got no right to get anywhere near that.” (via TNT Sports)
Rio Ferdinand – “It was like Kung-fu, that was ridiculous. We’ve seen him do this before, this is Zlatan Ibrahimovic vibes. That body of theirs is able to get into positions that not many people can do and control the football.”
Phil Foden also shared his reaction to Haaland’s goal
In addition to these pundits and Nunes sharing their thoughts on this particular goal, Phil Foden also gave his reaction to Haaland’s wonder strike after the match, saying this on the matter.
He said: “I just spoke to him, I said, ‘Mate if I tried to do that I’d pull my groin.’ I don’t know how he does it. It’s just how long his legs are. He’s a freak. He has this talent that no one else can do.”
Looking back over the game, the 24-year-old had 19 touches of the ball in 81 minutes before being replaced by Nico O’Reilly.
He also registered six attempts at goal in total, five of which were on target.
This display ultimately earned Haaland an overall match rating of 8.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the second-highest-rated City player on the day behind Nunes, who was given a perfect rating of 10/10.
Given the extent of the reactions to Haaland’s midweek strike, this showcases how special it was and how much of a unique striker he is in terms of being able to score eye-catching goals.
Moving forward, if the Norwegian is able to keep finding the back of the net on a regular basis this season, he’ll play a big part in potentially seeing City add even more trophies to their cabinet.
