Erling Haaland’s exceptional performance on the field is so remarkable that he has opponents requesting his shirt during halftime. The Norwegian striker scored two goals as Manchester City secured a 3-0 victory over Young Boys, becoming the first team to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, alongside RB Leipzig. However, it was the unexpected shirt exchange that became the talk of the match.
With Manchester City comfortably ahead 2-0 against the clearly outmatched Young Boys at halftime, visiting captain Mohamed Ali Camara approached Haaland and asked for his shirt as they left the field. Haaland graciously agreed, although he seemed to express some reluctance, saying, “you cannot do this” as he handed over his shirt.

 

As if to underscore his dominance, Haaland went on to score an incredible second goal from 20 yards shortly after halftime.
Young Boys coach Raphael Wicky said he was “surprised” and would have a “few words” with his skipper.
Erling Haaland’s remarkable ability to score goals continues to leave people in awe. He has now netted 39 goals in 34 Champions League matches.
Despite being only 23 years old and participating in just his fifth season in the competition, the Norwegian striker has already climbed to the 20th position in the all-time list of Champions League top scorers.
His goal-scoring record since joining Manchester City is equally impressive. Haaland has found the back of the net 67 times in 70 games since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last summer, breaking numerous records along the way.
After witnessing Haaland score his third goal for City from outside the box, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand expressed his astonishment by saying, “He is frightening.”
“If he starts adding scoring from long range to his game, he is becoming impossible to mark.”
Erling Haaland, in his role as Manchester City’s striker, netted the team’s third goal, marking their 250th goal in the history of the Champions League. This achievement places Manchester City among the select group of 12 teams to reach this significant milestone in the competition, and notably, they have accomplished it in the shortest span of time, taking just 119 games.

It’s worth noting that no English club has managed to successfully retain the Champions League trophy. The last English team to defend the European Cup was Nottingham Forest back in 1980. Manchester City, with their formidable performance, aims to create more historical moments in this regard.
Their recent comfortable victory has also enabled them to establish a new unbeaten record for English clubs in European competitions, spanning 18 games. This feat ranks as the fifth-longest unbeaten run since the inception of the Champions League era in 1992.
Manchester City’s remarkable consistency is evident by the fact that the last time they failed to score in a Champions League match was over a year ago on October 25, 2022, when they played to a goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
Retaining the top European club trophy in football is undoubtedly a challenging task, with only Real Madrid having achieved it during the Champions League era. In the history of Europe’s premier competition, only eight clubs have successfully defended their title.