HAALAND DOMINATES SPOTLIGHT WHILE MANCHESTER CITY GRIND OUT RESILIENT VICTORY
Erling Haaland extends his scoring streak to 12 games, netting his 53rd UCL goal as Manchester City secure a comfortable 2-0 away win at Villarreal. Bernardo Silva adds a second in a solid Champions League performance.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City increased his incredible scoring run to 12 games in a row as his team easily defeated Villarreal 2-0.
Before halftime, captain Bernardo Silva followed up the Norwegian's early effort with a strong header, putting him on target at the Estadio De La Ceramica as well.
A second league-phase victory did not appear to be in doubt, despite City's lack of fluency and some unpleasant moments from their Spanish hosts, especially in the second half.
With his goal in the 16th minute, Haaland extended his goal-scoring streak to 12 games and scored his 24th goal in 14 club and national team appearances this season.
At the young age of 25, it was also his 53rd Champions League goal, moving him up to 10th place all-time.
Although the Spain international was still the centre of attention when City visited his first professional club, his prolific play is undoubtedly hiding the absence of injured midfield linchpin Rodri.
The 29-year-old, who was returning to his old haunt for the first time since winning the Ballon d'Or the previous year, was given a presentation before the match.
Even though the home crowd was not able to watch him play, he received a warm welcome as he bounces back from his most recent loss.
City, which had lost all five of its previous road games in the competition, did not miss him this time.
They got off to a good start, and it looked like the sequence would conclude.
Haaland's header went wide, while Jeremy Doku's poor effort at keeper Luiz Junior could have opened the score within the first minute.
After Georges Mikautadze was taken down after a challenge by Matheus Nunes, Villarreal requested a penalty, but nothing was awarded, and City took a well-earned lead sixteen minutes later.
Rico Lewis swivelled smartly in the area after Savinho's wonderful ball to set up Haaland for a straightforward tap-in.
Villarreal responded well, and Pape Gueye had a strong long-range left-footed attempt that went just wide.
Five minutes before halftime, Silva headed home a forceful header at the near post after Savinho whipped in a cross to increase City's lead.
After the interval, Savinho had a chance after a strong run into the area, but Luiz stopped his attempt.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was not put to the test during Villarreal's next promising spell until Gueye summoned him to action in the 70th minute with a thundering drive from just inside the area. Soon, the Senegalese headed wide.
In short succession, Haaland forced two stops from Luiz, nearly matching his total for the evening twice.
When Nicolas Pépé headed against the post in the final minute, it nearly set up a nerve-wracking conclusion, but City won.
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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