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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

When was the last time Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scored a goal in the Champions League?

Norwegian forward Haaland has been prolific for Pep Guardiola’s treble winners but has suddenly seen the goals dry up in Europe.

Norwegian forward Haaland has been prolific for Pep Guardiola’s treble winners but has suddenly seen the goals dry up in Europe.
LISI NIESNERREUTERS

There can be absolutely no doubt Erling Haaland is one of his generation’s most lethal goalscorers. Since leaving first club Molde in his homeland, the Norwegian striker has broken one record after another for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now Manchester City. However, the goals have somewhat dried up for him in the UEFA Champions League all of a sudden.

What Champions League records does Haaland hold?

The 23-year-old averaged more than a goal per game in the competition for both Salzburg and Dortmund, becoming the only player to score a first-half hat-trick on his Champions League debut and just the third (after Diego Costa and Alessando del Piero) to score in his first five games.

After moving to Germany and then England, he subsequently became the fastest player to score 10 (seven games), 15 (12 games), 20 (14 games), 25 (20 games), 30 (25 games) and 35 goals (29 games), also being the youngest man to reach the latter milestone.

How many goals has the City striker scored in the Champions League?

But he has been stuck on 35 Champions League goals for more than six months, which seems unthinkable given Haaland’s previous goalscoring feats. Of course, matches in Europe’s elite club competition are relatively infrequent, certainly compared to domestic games, with that spell taking in five fixtures. However, given the Norwegian’s ridiculous standards, even that is a considerable goal drought.

Haaland’s last UCL goal

The forward’s last Champions League goal came in the second leg of last season’s quarter-final against Bayern Munich on 19 April, with a 1-1 draw in Germany sending City safely through to the last four after a 3-0 victory in Manchester (in which Haaland also scored). He then failed to find the net in either of the semi-final games against Real Madrid and was barely involved in the final versus Inter (not that it mattered much to Pep Guardiola’s side, who thrashed Los Blancos and went on to lift the trophy anyway).

Haaland has begun the new domestic season in typically clinical fashion, scoring nine times in nine Premier League games, but wasn’t among the scorers in City’s first two group games this season despite 3-1 victories over Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig.

City face Young Boys in Switzerland on Wednesday

Will the bizarre drought continue in Wednesday’s game away to Young Boys? Perhaps the Swiss side should be particularly wary; Haaland is due a goal, after all.