Man City vs FC Copenhagen LIVE: Champions League result, final score & reaction as Haaland nets twice in rout

Manchester City 5-0 FC Copenhagen: City cruise to a third straight win in the Champions League

Guardiola on Haaland - 'No one can compete with him at his age'

Erling Haaland took his goal tally to an incredible 19 in all competitions this season with another double in Manchester City’s 5-0 demolition of FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

Haaland wasted no time in getting City going with yet another strike in his remarkable campaign, sweeping home an early opener, before putting the game beyond the Danish side inside 32 minutes.

City kept coming and added a third six minutes before the break as David Khocholava put through his own net, with Haaland lurking just behind in the hunt for his second treble in four days.

There was to be no hat-trick for Haaland as he was withdrawn at half- time, but the goals kept coming as Riyad Mahrez slotted home a penalty before Julian Alvarez finished things off with a late fifth. The most comfortable of victories ensured City have taken a maximum nine points in the group and need two more to be sure of a spot in knockout stages. Copenhagen are bottom on one point from three games.

Relive the action from the Champions League group stages as Manchester City thump FC Copenhagen:

Manchester City vs FC Copenhagen

• FULL-TIME! Man City 5-0 FC Copenhagen
• 76’ - GOAL! Alvarez finishes off a lovely City move (MCI 5-0 COP)
• 54’ - GOAL! Mahrez scores from the penalty spot after Laporte dragged down (MCI 4-0 COP)
• 39’ - GOAL! Khocholava scores an unfortunate own goal with Haaland lurking (MCI 3-0 COP)
• 32’ - GOAL! Haaland taps in from close range (MCI 2-0 COP)
• 7’ - GOAL! Haaland neatly finishes early on (MCI 1-0 COP)
• Erling Haaland and Phil Foden exhibit opposite evolutions at Man City

[5 October 2022 22:15 · Michael Jones]

Erling Haaland scores twice as Man City thrash FC Copenhagen in Champions League

After the first, Pep Guardiola turned to the bench shaking his head in disbelief, as if this was not what everyone in attendance at the Etihad had come to see. As if it wasn’t what everyone has come to expect.

After the second, the Manchester City manager rubbed his hands in glee, mouthing several ‘wows’ in the direction of his staff. You would have thought, at that point, that he would keep Erling Haaland on the pitch long enough to score a third.

But it turns out for Guardiola, not even maintaining one of the most extraordinary starts to life at a new club that any centre-forward has had in recent memory is as important as proper rest and rotation. Haaland was removed at half-time of this 5-0 victory over Copenhagen. Even so, it is now a remarkable 19 goals in 12 competitive games for City, and 28 goals in 22 appearances in the Champions League - as many as Ryan Giggs managed in 21 years.

[5 October 2022 22:05 · Michael Jones]

Erling Haaland matches Lionel Messi to make it nine in a row for Pep Guardiola

Erling Haaland’s double against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday saw him match Lionel Messi for the longest scoring run under Pep Guardiola’s management.

The Norwegian has hit the ground running at Manchester City and has 17 goals in his last nine appearances, with three hat-tricks and at least one goal in each game.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how Haaland compares to Messi, as well as the previous longest runs for Guardiola’s City side:

[5 October 2022 22:00 · Michael Jones]

Celtic’s Champions League hopes dented by RB Leipzig defeat

Earlier tonight Celtic slumped to defeat and now face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages after a 3-1 Champions League loss against RB Leipzig.

Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring from a 27th-minute counter-attack after Celtic lost the ball following a short corner and, with captain Callum McGregor off injured, the visitors could not build on Jota’s equaliser.

Leipzig had just had a second goal disallowed following VAR’s intervention when goalkeeper Joe Hart presented the home team with the ball to allow Andre Silva to score the first of his two second-half goals.

The defeat leaves Celtic bottom of Group F with one point from three matches but they have both Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk to come at Parkhead in the next two games.

[5 October 2022 21:56 · Michael Jones]

FT Man City 5-0 Copenhagen

(Action Images via Reuters)

(Manchester City FC via Getty Ima)

[5 October 2022 21:54 · Michael Jones]

FT Man City 5-0 Copenhagen

Erling Haaland has scored 28 goals in 22 appearances in the Champions League, a goals per game record of 1.27; there are 98 teams with a worse goals per game record than him in the competition.

[5 October 2022 21:49 · Michael Jones]

Full-time: Man City 5-0 Copenhagen

90 mins: Sergio Gomez meets a floated corner on the volley and blasts it at goal but Kamil Grabara makes a great svae to turn the ball over the crossbar. He’s let in five goals and has been Copenhagen’s best player tonight.

The final whistle goes and City make it three wins from their three Champions League matches this season.

[5 October 2022 21:45 · Michael Jones]

Man City 5-0 Copenhagen

87 mins: The game is winding down now. Just a few minutes left to play with City complete control.

[5 October 2022 21:40 · Michael Jones]

Man City 5-0 Copenhagen

82 mins: Jack Grealish meets a cross from Riyad Mahrez on the volley and side-foots his effort into the deck where the ball bounces up and flies just wide of the right-hand post.

He’s desperate for a goal and deserves one for this performance tonight.

[5 October 2022 21:36 · Michael Jones]

Man City 5-0 Copenhagen

79 mins: How many more can City score? Cole Palmer lifts the ball over to the left side of the are from the opposite wing and finds Gundogan who lifts an effort over the crossbar!

Just over 10 minutes to play, the home side could easily get one or two more before the close.

[5 October 2022 21:35 · Michael Jones]

GOAL! Man City 5-0 Copenhagen (Alvarez, 76’)⚽️

76 mins: Julian Alvarez is off the mark in the Champions League. They step up the tempo and send Riyad Mahrez bombing into the box down the right side. He squares the ball into the six-yard area where Alvarez is free to guide it home!