Erling Haaland scores his 18th Champions League brace and closes in on the podium

The Norwegian has struck again. Erling Haaland scored twice on Tuesday evening away to FC Porto, helping Manchester City secure a 2-0 victory in their Champions League opener. The performance marks another milestone in the competition’s history.

Erling Haaland once again showcased his efficiency. After a goalless first half, the Manchester City striker opened the scoring shortly after the restart, heading home a cross from Enzo Fernández. He then sealed the Citizens’ victory in stoppage time with a right-footed finish following a cutback from Rayan Aït-Nouri.

Two goals, and another Champions League brace for the Norwegian. According to StatMuse statistics, Haaland now has 18 braces in the competition, placing him fifth on the all-time list.

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Haaland already 5th all-time

The Manchester City striker remains some way behind the record held by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese has 38 Champions League braces, ahead of Lionel Messi with 36 and Robert Lewandowski with 29. Karim Benzema is fourth with 21, while Haaland follows with 18.

The figure is even more impressive considering that the Norwegian has made just 59 appearances in the competition, compared with 183 for Cristiano Ronaldo, 163 for Messi, 144 for Lewandowski and 152 for Benzema. Haaland has also reached 59 Champions League goals following his brace against Porto.

In Porto, the Norwegian once again moved closer to the competition’s all-time greats. At just 26 years old, he already has 18 Champions League braces and continues to climb a hierarchy that has been dominated by Ronaldo and Messi for years.

His remarkable scoring rate suggests that Haaland could significantly close the gap on the three players ahead of him in the brace rankings over the coming seasons.

Nouya M'toama

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Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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