Chapter 606: Two Goals, Haaland Becomes Famous in One Game!
Salah's performance was truly outstanding. After scoring the goal, he almost provided an assist that would have allowed Liverpool to extend their lead.
Fortunately for Manchester City, their defense held firm this time, avoiding further mistakes.
A few minutes later, Haaland finished warming up and was subbed onto the field.
Seeing that City had brought on a player who wasn't even 18 years old, Liverpool's side thought that Manchester City had run out of options.
"Who is this kid? Why haven't we heard of him before?"
"I heard he's the son of the old Haaland. Looks like this guy's a second-generation footballer!"
"Oh, so he's his son? Looks like he got into Manchester City through connections, huh?"
Old Haaland had played for Manchester City, so sending his son to the club gave the impression that this was some kind of favor or nepotism.
Once Liverpool's fans learned this background, they looked down on Haaland even more. Some even thought that Guardiola must have lost his mind to put such a "connected" player on the field.
Haaland hadn't played many matches for City this season, and when he did, it was usually after the game was already decided.
Having never experienced a high-intensity match like this one, he struggled to adapt to the pace after coming on and made several mistakes, looking clumsy.
"Kid, you should go sit down; this isn't the place for you!"
After successfully defending a play, a Liverpool defender began taunting Haaland. To him, this kid was nothing more than a stepping stone sent by the opposing coach to highlight his greatness.
With Haaland on the field, Liverpool's defenders were having a much easier time, and they felt like world-class players.
"Haha, he's going to start crying!"
"Oh, this kid's gonna run crying to his mom!"
In the stands, those who had been worried about Guardiola's substitution, fearing that Haaland might be some secret weapon, were now relieved. They joined in the laughter and mockery.
"Haha, what's Manchester City trying to do by sending someone like him?"
"This guy feels like he's our undercover agent. He's only here to mess things up!"
With Haaland's mistakes, Liverpool won several opportunities to counterattack. While City managed to defend these attacks, Haaland's errors still caused them a lot of trouble. Not only on defense but also in their attack.
As a forward, Haaland's job was to score. When he lost the ball, it meant all the hard work City put into their attack was wasted, which hurt the team's morale.
"Sorry, sorry, my bad!"
Haaland was quick to take responsibility for his mistakes, apologizing sincerely to his teammates.
Seeing him own up to his errors so quickly, even if some of his teammates were frustrated, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything.
However, many began to doubt whether the coach's decision to sub him in was reasonable. According to their original plan, Haaland wasn't supposed to come on. The coach had suddenly changed the plan, subbing in a rookie who wasn't even part of the original strategy, catching them off guard.
"Be decisive after receiving the ball. Either pass or shoot, but don't hesitate!"
Lin Quan walked up to Haaland, patted him on the shoulder, and looked him in the eye, saying:
"And pay attention to how the referee calls the game. Use your body smartly to gain an advantage!"
Hearing Lin Quan's advice, Haaland's eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically, saying:
"I get it, thanks, boss!"
Lin Quan looked at Haaland. He couldn't be sure if the kid really understood, but considering the multiple mistakes Haaland had already made and the fact that he was being mocked by both opponents and fans, the fact that he hadn't panicked or backed down spoke volumes.
Just for that, Lin Quan decided to give him another chance.
Liverpool, noticing Haaland's repeated mistakes, paid even less attention to him and loosened their defense. In their minds, City probably wouldn't pass to him anymore, and even if they did, this big clumsy guy wouldn't be able to do much.
It seemed like they were right. Although Haaland was working hard up front, trying to position himself in the box and wrestle with the defenders, his teammates seemed to have lost trust in him and stopped passing him the ball.
Even Lin Quan, when he had the ball, preferred to pass to more reliable teammates like De Bruyne or simply handle it himself, showing no intention of passing to Haaland.
This only reinforced Liverpool's belief that Haaland had been abandoned, and they became even more relaxed in their defense of him.
In the 80th minute of the second half, with time running out and his team consciously avoiding passing to Haaland, Lin Quan noticed that Liverpool's defense on Haaland had become extremely lax. He realized it was the perfect time.
Since that's the case, why not let Haaland surprise them?
In the 81st minute, City's attack shifted to the left side. Lin Quan dribbled the ball, attempting to cut inside, but after being surrounded by several defenders, he had to drive towards the goal line. A Liverpool fullback chased closely behind, while their center-back marked the oncoming De Bruyne.
Another center-back adjusted his position, standing closer to the goal to help the goalkeeper control the ball's trajectory and block potential shots.
The Liverpool players had completely ignored Manchester City's forward, Haaland. After all, for the past ten minutes, Haaland had become virtually invisible.
Even more surprising to them, as Lin Quan dribbled toward the goal line, Haaland's positioning seemed off. He was surrounded by four Liverpool defenders. Even if the ball was crossed to him, it would be nearly impossible for him to get a shot off.
However, just as Liverpool's players had let their guard down on Haaland, he made his move.
He quickly dashed into the center of the box, into the area with the most space and best chance of controlling the ball, and then made a quick backward move to throw off the defender behind him.
When Lin Quan crossed the ball, Haaland immediately tracked its path, swinging his leg and, before the two Liverpool center-backs could close in, delivered a powerful volley that rocketed the ball into the top left corner of the goal.
Liverpool's keeper Karius was helpless against the close-range shot. The ball came too fast, and the angle was too sharp. He couldn't react in time, barely lifting his arm in a symbolic attempt to stop it before the ball smashed into the net.
Liverpool's players were stunned, and their fans in the stands were equally bewildered. How could this clumsy, error-prone giant score such a beautiful goal?
That goal required an incredibly sharp sense of positioning, excellent shooting technique, and a strong mental focus to pull off.
Even though Liverpool's two center-backs weren't marking Haaland closely, they had blocked his path immediately. If Haaland had hesitated for even a second, he wouldn't have had the chance to shoot.
But Haaland acted decisively, striking the volley with precision, wasting no time at all!
After confirming his shot had found the back of the net, Haaland excitedly sprinted towards the sidelines, tearing off his shirt to reveal a vest underneath, covered in writing.
He ran to the camera, turned his back, and displayed the words on his vest to the world: "Remember my name—Erling Haaland!"
It was as if he was introducing himself to football fans everywhere, demanding they remember his name.
On the sidelines, Guardiola clapped enthusiastically for Haaland. The boy had lived up to his trust. To be honest, when he saw Haaland making mistake after mistake earlier, Guardiola had been worried, fearing the boy would crumble under the pressure and perform worse.
But now, it was clear his concerns had been unfounded. Haaland had the heart of a lion.
Excellent. Since that's the case, Guardiola thought, perhaps he could push Haaland a little more in future matches.
...
In the stands, Haaland's father, sitting with his wife and children, was overjoyed, celebrating like a child, wanting to shout to the world that this was his son.
His son's starting point was much higher than his own, and his talent was even greater.
This filled him with hope for his son's future, eagerly anticipating that Haaland would grow into a towering figure at Manchester City.
If anyone felt the most frustrated by Haaland's goal, it was the Liverpool defenders.
They still couldn't believe that this seemingly useless guy had just scored such an incredible goal.
It had to be a fluke, right?
Yes, it must be!
Otherwise, wouldn't that make them look incredibly incompetent?
That was something they simply couldn't accept!
So they decided that when the game restarted, they would give Haaland some "special attention."
Haaland's goal brought the two teams level again, but Liverpool were far from satisfied with the result.
With time still left, they launched an all-out assault on City's defense, trying to seize the last opportunity to regain the lead.
If they went to the Etihad with a 2-2 scoreline, their chances of advancing to the semifinals would be less than 30%.
So they had to attack. They had to score.
However, City knew this was coming and were well prepared. They set up a strong defensive line and held firm, giving Liverpool no chances.
As Liverpool's attacks kept coming up empty, their players grew increasingly anxious.
In the 87th minute, after several passes outside the box, Liverpool, frustrated by City's impenetrable defense, had to rely on Salah's individual skill to break through.
While Salah was incredibly talented, he wasn't capable of taking on City's entire defense on his own.
Just as he dribbled past City's fullback and was about to make his next move, the ball was cleanly stolen from him.
Van Dijk quickly passed the ball to Lin Quan, who had dropped back near the edge of the box. Lin Quan was closely marked, unable to turn and face the goal, but he spotted Kyle Walker on his right and immediately passed it to him, motioning for Walker to launch a long ball forward.
Walker didn't hesitate, following Lin Quan's instructions.
Walker's kick sent the ball flying high and far towards Liverpool's half. Seeing this, Liverpool's players all began retreating.
But there was someone faster than them!
When Walker passed the ball, Liverpool defender Lovren had the positional advantage over Haaland.
But Haaland, using his explosive speed and power, quickly caught up to him!
Lovren was shocked. He hadn't expected this big kid to be so fast!
Panicking, Lovren tried to use his hands to block Haaland, but it felt like he had run into a tank. Haaland simply brushed him aside!
Lovren lost his balance, stumbling but managing to stay on his feet, though his speed was drastically reduced, allowing Haaland to overtake him and create some distance.
Haaland was now one-on-one with the goalkeeper!
Karius rushed out immediately. This kid had just scored on him a few minutes ago, and he wasn't going to let him score again.
If this no-name player scored twice on him, Karius would not only be blamed for the loss but also become the stepping stone for Haaland's rise to fame.
Haaland was young and inexperienced, especially in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper, so Karius expected the young forward to feel nervous and make a mistake.
If Haaland hesitated or didn't act decisively, Karius would have a chance to block the shot.
But Karius had miscalculated.
Haaland, while lacking experience, had a remarkably strong mentality.
As soon as he saw Karius rushing out, he didn't hesitate for a second and immediately went for the shot, even though he hadn't yet entered the penalty box.
The closer he got to the keeper, the smaller his shooting angle would become. So he took the shot at the moment when the angle was widest, giving himself the best chance to score.
Due to his height, Haaland's footwork, agility, and dribbling weren't as sharp as players like Lin Quan.
He knew this was a weakness of his, so he didn't take any risks trying to dribble past the goalkeeper.
Karius hadn't expected Haaland to shoot so quickly, nor had he anticipated a low shot aimed right at the bottom corner.
Although Karius stretched his leg to block it, he couldn't reach the ball in time. It rolled cleanly into the net, bringing the score to 3-2, with City completing the comeback.
And Haaland, on the Champions League stage, had just secured the first brace of his professional career!
In just ten minutes, he had come on as a substitute and scored two goals.
At just 17 years old, Haaland had made a name for himself in one game! (End of Chapter)