Erling Haaland on target as City progress to Champions League quarter-final

Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji celebrates with Erling Haaland after opening the scoring. Image credit: Sky Sports

Adam Bate reports for Sky Sports that the match report as Champions League holders take their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium; goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez, and Erling Haaland complete 6-2 aggregate win for Pep Guardiola’s team

Manchester City eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen, securing a 6-2 aggregate win.

Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez’s goals in the first nine minutes of the match ended any threat of a shock. Though Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back for the Danish side, Erling Haaland scored his inevitable goal before the half was out.

Pep Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden on the bench and withdrew Rodri at half-time—an indication that the holders fancied the job had been all but done in Denmark. They are in good shape going into the Premier League title clash with Liverpool on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

Manchester City eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen, securing a 6-2 aggregate win.

How Man City won it

Having retained only four of the starting line-up that saw off Manchester United at the weekend, some of the fringe players had an opportunity to impress, and Oscar Bobb was particularly lively from the outset. It did not take City long to ease ahead.

Alvarez’s outswinger from a corner on the right found Akanji marked at the near post but not tightly enough. The center-back could swing his right foot at the ball and score with a side-footed volley. There was not much tension to ease, but that did it.

Alvarez had a goal within nine minutes, but this owed much to Kamil Grabara’s error in the Copenhagen goal. Rodri had struck the frame of the goal with the initial chance, and when Alvarez shot on the angle, the goalkeeper fumbled it into his net.

However, Elyounoussi, the former Southampton forward, did give the away support a lift, with perhaps the night’s goal. Running from deep, he threaded the ball in behind, and Orri Oskarsson’s clever backheel allowed him to collect the return pass and score.

Enter Haaland. The striker was not among those rested, aiming to add to his Champions League tally, and he had his goal in first-half stoppage time. Seizing upon Rodri’s angled pass, the Norwegian dropped the shoulder and fired low into the net to make it three.

The second half was largely uneventful but for Matheus Nunes suffering a dislocated finger and Rico Lewis’s deflected strike that hit the crossbar in stoppage-time.

Guardiola managed to avoid more severe injuries to his side, coming through this tie unscathed and keeping hopes of an unlikely repeat of the treble alive.

Akanji: We are one of the favorites

“The first two goals made it easier for us because then we were already up four goals,” Akanji, a player in the match, told TNT Sports. It was tough for them to come back. We had a phase where we did not play very well, but we did what we had to do today.”

With Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals, the latter stages of this season’s Champions League look stacked. But Guardiola’s side still looks to be the team to beat as they seek to retain the trophy.

“We will see how the tournament goes, but we are feeling good right now,” added Akanji. “We are confident going into the next round. We are one of the favorites, but we must prove it.”

What’s next for Man City and Copenhagen?

Champions Man City will travel to Anfield on Sunday to face title rival Liverpool in the Premier League. The match will be live on Sky Sports from 3 pm, with kick-off at 3.45 pm.

Copenhagen host struggling Lygnby in the Danish Superliga on Sunday; kick-off 3 pm.

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