The man who ran in a goal every 44 minutes grabbed two more in 69 en route to a 4-0 win as another Champions League campaign begins with a demand to finish with the trophy. “I like this routine, and it’s a routine after every game, to talk about him and his goals,” Guardiola said. “It’s always there, always. There is always the feeling that he can score more goals.” That this was expected shouldn’t overshadow the quality, although Guardiola admitted it wasn’t always like 4-0. For Sevilla, certainly, there was a sense that this was always going to be the case. “And to cap it all, Manchester City,” a headline previously said. Sevilla went into it in crisis, having their worst start to a season in 41 years. The last thing they wanted was for Guardiola’s team to turn up: the last thing they wanted was him. Last time they faced him, Haaland scored four of Dortmund’s five in a 5-4 aggregate win. That night at that stage, you could hear the fear every time he got up and ran, the gasp that was heard, the sound of the boot against the ball, a boom echoing around. It was empty then, which may have exaggerated that feeling. it wasn’t empty now, but the net result was pretty much the same. Despite all their problems, the home fans raised the roof. There was a roar when Papu Gómez produced an early nutmeg and they tried to get their team through the crisis. Until the end, however, they were calling for the president to resign. Sevilla’s start was bright. It was also short, the jitters inside their area at 11 minutes a sign that they already knew this was going to be a long night.* City in control, Jack Grealish hit the side netting. When Haaland accelerated from deep, Sevilla had a familiar feeling, a flash of déjà vu, which backed off as the riot began. Twice Kevin De Bruyne struck. Marcos Acuña stuck one off Phil Foden’s toe. It was relentless, in its own way: not intense as such, and not a storm, but persistent. And then came the goal, which was obvious – both in execution and anticipation. A move that has been seen a thousand times before and may be seen a thousand more saw Foden roll this little diagonal pass to one side of the full-back. De Bruyne got past him at the other end to collect and he pulled into the six-yard box. Diving in, foot out, was Haaland. “He has this innate instinct to be in the right place at the right time: not a second too early, not a second too late,” Guardiola said. Whistles soon followed from the Sevilla fans, frustrated by City holding the ball. That they were reaching for something, anything, was reflected by the roar that met the first corner and the first shot, Acuña’s effort goes wide but still gets a “huuy”. It was even stronger when Jesus Navas – once of Manchester City – Thomas Delaney and Gomez combined nicely, a sign that they may finally play a bit. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our site and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Erling Haaland strikes to open the scoring against Sevilla. Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images When Sevilla pressed there was a sense of life, of rebellion and their fans pushed higher and higher. But that persistence felt like it might be inviting them into a trap and the second half brought wider spaces, more chances and more goals for City. De Bruyne, out of defence, was denied by Bono, Haaland might have converted a header and Joao Cancelo spilled wide before Rodri fired home. And then came the second, the moment Sevilla went up. “We scored when they were at their best,” admitted Guardiola. City found space to run, Cancelo found Foden who switched one direction and back, past Nemanja Gudeli and finished beautifully. A lovely cut-back from De Bruyne, he circled and turned down the right, then started a move that ended with City getting on the ball. Foden was in that time and although Bono saved, Haaland was there, in the right place, at the right time, to head home. He retired soon after. His work here was done, another disaster complete. However, City were not to be, Rúben Dias making the fourth in added time.
