Erling Haaland scored his maiden goal for Manchester City during its pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich. He said that he was not surprised by his debut goal.
Norwegian sensation Erling Haaland eventually made his highly-anticipated debut for his new club, the reigning English champion Manchester City. Taking on German champion Bayern Munich at the Lambeau Field in Greenbay on Sunday morning, Haaland scored the sole goal and winner of the match in the 12th minute, as the Cityzens rode to a competitive 1-0 win. The Norwegian moved from Bayern's German rival Borussia Dortmund this season for a reported fee of €60 million and signed a five-year deal with the English champion. Although he was expected to debut in City's last pre-season friendly match against Club America, he was made to wait until Sunday with a minor fitness issue.
As for the goal, it was a swift cross from winger-sum-attacking midfielder that Haaland slid to tap in from a close range to script his opening goal for City. While many felt that the Norwegian was lucky to have converted it into a goal, Haaland reckoned that he had been in similar situations before and was not surprised by his goal.
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"Of course, I have been seeing myself in these situations, so I'm not surprised," Haaland told Sky Sports after City's win. On the other hand, City head coach Pep Guardiola was all-praise for Haaland's instinct but also warned that the Norweigian is yet to gain full fitness and must be handled carefully. The Cityzens are set to play Liverpool next Sunday for the FA Community Shield at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.
"He [Haaland] scored a goal, which is important. These types of goals in front of the keeper -- always he's there. In the first minutes, he needs more rhythm and time, but already he had 45 minutes which is good for him. We'll see how he reacts to the niggles that he had in the previous weeks. After returning, we have long weeks to prepare for every weekend game. In those two or three weeks, we will get the best form," elucidated Guardiola.