Erling Haaland scored for the 12th time in a row, extending his astonishing goal-scoring streak and helping Manchester City end their Champions League winless away run with a victory over Villarreal.
Haaland’s torrid form has seen him score 24 goals in 14 appearances for club and country this season, helping City earn three points on the road in Europe for the first time in over a year.
The Norwegian’s opening goal was scored by a striker with deadly instincts, racing ahead of Juan Foyth and finishing first-time from Rico Lewis’ low cross.
City had chances early on, with Haaland heading wide inside two minutes, then Jeremy Doku testing Luiz Junior with a low strike that the home goalkeeper saved.
Pep Guardiola’s team dominated the first half, and skipper Bernardo Silva deservedly increased the lead before halftime, thumping a free header into the net from Savinho’s cross.
Villarreal sought to get back into the game in the second half, with Pape Gueye stinging Gianluigi Donnarumma’s palms and former Chelsea defender Renato Veiga heading against the post late on, but City won.
Tuesday’s victory over Villarreal stretched City’s unbeaten streak in all competitions to nine games, and they are currently in fifth place in the Champions League group stage, having won two and drawn one of their three matches.
They are already improving on their performance from last season, when they finished 22nd and advanced to the playoffs but were eliminated by Real Madrid.
They play the La Liga heavyweights on their next European away trip in December, having overcome a five-game winless streak on the road in the competition.
City’s previous Champions League success outside of Manchester occurred on October 1, 2024, when they thrashed Slovan Bratislava 4-0, but they never looked vulnerable against Villarreal.
The early chances set the tone, and City’s two goals in the first half allowed them to control and finish the game in the second period, demonstrating their growing confidence.
Haaland, a ruthless striker, enjoys scoring goals against any side, but he especially enjoys facing Spanish opponents, having scored nine goals in as many La Liga outings.
Boss Guardiola continues to like enjoying playing Villarreal, since he has never lost to them in nine meetings.
With a population of roughly 50,000, Villarreal has consistently finished in the top ten of La Liga for the past two decades.
Villarreal and City fans will have loved the Spanish club’s Europa League final victory over Manchester United on penalties in 2021, their largest trophy win to date.
Marcelino’s squad is presently third in the Spanish division, trailing only Real Madrid and Barcelona, but they were outclassed for the most part by an in-form City.
They put Donnarumma into action in the second half and hit the woodwork, but they still have work to do if they want to advance in this competition after losing all three of their initial games.
