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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says star striker Erling Haaland matches to the standard of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Norwegian netted twice on Saturday.
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says star striker Erling Haaland matches the standard of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Norwegian netted twice Saturday against Southampton in the English Premier League.
Returning from injury, Haaland found the back of the net twice against the Saints in a 4-1 win as the English champions kept the pressure on table leaders Arsenal with a five-point difference.
Haaland's brace made him the first player in English Premier League history to score 30 goals in 27 matches.
He has now scored 44 goals in his debut season for City.
Guardiola could not help but compare the giant striker to Messi and Ronaldo.
The City boss coached Messi for four seasons at Barcelona during the peak of the Ronaldo -Messi rivalry.
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"As a top scorer, we lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but he is on that level. He scores a lot of goals. I am thrilled with 65 minutes after injury, and he helped us again,” Guardiola said.
Haaland delivered a memorable acrobatic volley off Jack Grealish's cross to mark his 30th Premier League goal of the season.
"The second goal was amazing. It is difficult to pick the ball up in the sky and put it on the grass," Guardiola added.
"We need him. The first half was not our best level, but he changed the game.”
Liverpool host Arsenal on Sunday in a match that City will be following keenly, hoping for a favour from their rivals in the Pep Guardiola- Jurgen Klopp era.
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