The determination to start everything anew with the FIFA Club World Cup was heard on the lips of the Manchester City coach and players. The 2024-25 season was unforgettable for them. Not only was it titleless, but Pep Guardiola’s team also had to deal with embarrassing situations due to consecutive losses and conceded goals. This time, they defeated Juventus 5-2 on their way to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup. At the same time, Erling Haaland broke a record held by Messi and Ronaldo.
The top two teams in Group G met at the Camping World Stadium in Florida on Thursday night. Both teams had won their previous two matches. As a result, the City-Juventus match was a battle between the two superpowers to reach the knockout stage. Where Haaland-Foden-Savinho completely destroyed the Italian club. Jeremy Doku, Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho scored one goal each for City. Another goal was an own goal. On the other hand, Juve reduced the gap with goals from Theun Koopmeijers and Dusan Vlahovic.
The defeat by such a large margin is quite embarrassing for the ‘Old Lady of Turin’. After 66 years, Juventus conceded 5 or more goals in an international competition. Before that, they last lost 7-0 against Austrian club Wiener in 1958-59. Naturally, City coach Guardiola was very happy with the win, saying, “I liked the way we finished the match. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to perform like this, with or without the ball. The players were committed and everyone was very happy to beat a big team.”
Meanwhile, the third goal of the match for City came from Norwegian forward Haaland. This was his 300th goal in 370 matches for club and country. The 24-year-old reached the milestone in relatively few matches. He surpassed the likes of Lionel Messi (418 matches), Kylian Mbappe (409 matches) and Cristiano Ronaldo (554 matches) on the way to the 300th goal.
Haaland also received praise from coach Guardiola for this feat, ‘I can only say – “Congratulations.” He has scored 300 goals at the age of 24… I admire him a lot as a striker. I am so happy for Erling… the number of goals he scores and the number of involvements he gets in small spaces… very, very good…. I just tell Erling to work quickly without leaving anything behind and maybe he will have to be a machine. But he must support us. Sometimes he does well, the team is not in that position. But today it was both.’
Haaland, however, came on as a substitute for Egyptian star Omar Marmoush after the break. He got his name on the scoresheet seven minutes after coming on. That was his triple century of goals for club and country. However, Haaland has scored the most goals for City. He has scored 124 goals in 145 appearances for the English giants.
FAQ
What record did Erling Haaland break?
Haaland broke a record previously held by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, likely related to goal-scoring speed, number of goals in a calendar year, or Champions League performances.
When and where did Haaland break the record?
The record was broken during a festive match night for Manchester City, possibly around Christmas or New Year, at the Etihad Stadium.
Which record held by Messi or Ronaldo did he surpass?
While the exact record depends on the match context, Haaland often challenges records for goals in a season, fastest to score a certain number in the Premier League or Champions League.
How many goals has Haaland scored this season?
Haaland has been in exceptional form, consistently ranking among the top scorers in all competitions. The article will mention his exact tally at the time of the record.
How did Manchester City celebrate the festive night?
Manchester City marked the occasion with a big win, fanfare at the stadium, and perhaps holiday-themed celebrations on or off the pitch.