A notable statistic accompanied Manchester City’s 5-1 rout of AEK at the Etihad Stadium in Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage. The “Citizens” managed to score five goals without a single one coming from Erling Haaland, which is extremely rare given that the Norwegian is the cornerstone of their offense.
The last time City scored five goals in a Champions League match without Haaland finding the net was on February 15, 2022. Back then, they routed Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in Portugal, at a time when Haaland hadn’t even moved to Manchester yet and was still wearing the Dortmund jersey.
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In that game, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, and Raheem Sterling all scored, while Bernardo Silva netted two goals. More than four years later, City replicated that offensive output without needing a goal from its Norwegian star.
Against AEK, the star of the show was Phil Foden, who finished the game with a hat trick and an assist. The English team demonstrated in the most striking way the depth and quality of its offense, scoring five goals even on a night when Haaland failed to find the back of the net.
*photo source: AP
