Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City defeated FC Copenhagen 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday in Paris, while Chelsea defeated AC Milan to rekindle their hopes of advancing to the round of 16.
Real Madrid, the defending champions, defeated Shakhtar Donetsk, 2-1, at the Santiago Bernabeu to increase their lead in Group F.
In Lisbon, Benfica held Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw despite a goal from Lionel Messi.
Haaland entered City’s match against Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium as the only player in Premier League history to score three consecutive home hat-tricks. Haaland accomplished this feat in Sunday’s rout of Manchester United.
On seven minutes, the Norwegian scored the game’s first goal with his weaker right foot before scoring his second on a rebound 25 minutes later.
The 22-year-old has now scored 28 goals in 22 Champions League outings, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for the most goals scored by a player in his first 30 games in the competition.
City’s Jack Grealish told BT Sport, “I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life.”
“When the first and second goals were scored, I just laughed. He is ever present.
“The keeper murmured something to me as I walked back to the entrance. He declared, “He is not human!” I responded ‘You’re telling me?’ We hope he can maintain this level of play and lead us to victory.”
visiting central defender Before halftime, Davit Khocholava scored an own goal with Haaland waiting in the wings to make it 3-0.
Haaland was denied a fourth City hat-trick when he was replaced at halftime, but a Riyad Mahrez penalty and a fourth goal for the club by Julian Alvarez completed the rout.
Pep Guardiola’s squad leads Borussia Dortmund by three points in Group G and will advance to the knockout round with a victory in the Danish city next week.
Jude Bellingham scored his third goal in as many Champions League appearances as Dortmund defeated Sevilla 4-1.
Shortly after the final whistle, the Spanish club fired head coach Julen Lopetegui in response to the loss and a horrendously awful start to the season that has placed them 17th in La Liga.
Chelsea cruises to victory.
Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Reece James scored in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Italian champions AC Milan at Stamford Bridge to snap the Blues’ Group E winless streak.
The Blues won their second consecutive game under new manager Graham Potter, setting up a critical matchup at the San Siro in six days.
Chelsea is second in Group E, tied with Milan for third place and one point behind Salzburg, who defeated Dinamo Zagreb 1-0.
Aubameyang stated, “When you win games, it’s simpler.” “The mood is currently really positive. We’ll attempt to maintain the momentum.”
Shakhtar fought valiantly in Madrid, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin making 11 stops, but was unable to overcome Real’s two-goal lead.
Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior scored within the first half-hour to put Real ahead, and despite Oleksandr Zubkov’s goal for Shakhtar, the 14-time defending champions improved to 3-0 in Group F.
Defeating second-placed Shakhtar in their upcoming match will guarantee Madrid a position in the round of 16.
Joe Hart’s blunder helped RB Leipzig defeat Celtic 3-1, closing the gap to Shakhtar to just one point.
The former England goalkeeper’s errant pass allowed Andre Silva to restore Leipzig’s lead in the second half before he scored again late in the game.
Benfica retain PSG
After a hard-fought draw against one of the tournament’s favorites, Benfica remain tied for first place in Group H with group leaders PSG.
Messi scored his 127th Champions League goal in the 22nd minute with a classic left-footed shot into the top corner after a nice exchange of passes also including Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Four minutes before halftime, Benfica equalized when Danilo Pereira scored an own goal, and both teams missed opportunities to win in the second half.
In his first season with PSG, Messi scored 11 goals in 34 games, but he already has eight in 13 this season.
PSG captain Marquinhos told Canal Plus, “It’s normal, it takes a little time.” Now he feels somewhat more at ease… To win this championship, I hope Leo Messi has a terrific season till the end.”
As a result of Adrien Rabiot’s brace and Dusan Vlahovic’s goal, Juventus pulled within four points of the top two with a 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa for their first points.
AFP