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THE 10-GAME DROUGHT OVER: HOW HAALAND FINALLY FOUND THE NET AGAIN TODAY.

Erling Haaland ends his 10-game goal drought as Manchester City beat Galatasaray 2-0 to secure a spot in the UCL Last 16.

The 10-Game Drought Over: How Haaland finally found the net again today.
City through to Last 16 as Haaland ends his scoring drought

Erling Haaland finally broke his scoring drought, and Manchester City squeezed into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Galatasaray.

Haaland hadn’t scored from open play in ten matches, but he put that to rest with a calm finish. Rayan Cherki gave City their second just before halftime. Pep Guardiola’s team handled the Turkish side at the Etihad, but honestly, it wasn’t a smooth ride.

Other results went City’s way, so this win pushed the defending champions up to eighth in the league phase. That means they dodged the dreaded play-off round—the one that tripped them up last season.

After the final whistle, players, coaches, and fans were left waiting for results from other games. When word came through that Real Madrid had lost at Benfica, everyone in sky blue could finally relax. They’d done enough.

The night wasn’t all good news, though. Jeremy Doku, who lit up the first half and set up both goals, picked up an injury and joined City’s already long list of casualties.

Still, City will be relieved. They won’t have to deal with two extra games next month, and with four competitions on the go, every bit of rest matters.

Galatasaray’s travelling fans showed up in force. They packed city bars, marched through the streets, and set off fireworks on the way to the ground. But by the end, they were silent.

Their team, featuring old City faces Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane, managed to cling onto a spot in the top 24. Not much to celebrate, but it’s something.

City came out flying. They nearly scored inside three minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri whipped in a cross for Haaland, but the Norwegian headed wide.

He didn’t miss his next chance. Seven minutes later, Doku zipped through the Galatasaray defence and slipped a pass to Haaland, who raced clear. Bardakci couldn’t keep up, and goalkeeper Cakir had no chance as Haaland coolly chipped the ball over him.

The city pushed for more. Cakir had to tip over a rocket from Nico O’Reilly. The second goal arrived in 29 minutes—Doku danced into the box, pulled it back for Cherki, and Cherki swept it home.

That was Doku’s last big moment. After taking some rough hits in recent games, he picked up another knock and limped off.

Galatasaray barely threatened before halftime, apart from a weak effort from Victor Osimhen. But they found more energy after the break, especially after Kurdish demonstrators briefly paused the game.

Osimhen was their main danger man. He headed at Gianluigi Donnarumma, then forced a save with a first-time shot.

The city nearly added a third when Omar Marmoush found himself in a great spot but lost his footing at the crucial moment.

A clash of heads between Tijjani Reijnders and Davinson Sanchez brought a long stoppage. Both players got bandaged up and played on, but the tempo never really picked up again.

The game fizzled out, but City did what they needed to do. They’re through.

"I’M UPSET" PEP GUARDIOLA’S HILARIOUS RESPONSE TO MANCHESTER CITY’S TRANSFER BUDGET

Pep Guardiola hits back at "big spender" claims, revealing six clubs have higher net spends than City. Get the full injury news.

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Pep Guardiola mocks "big spender" label

Pep Guardiola couldn’t resist poking fun at Manchester City’s big-spender label, joking that he’s annoyed with the club’s bosses for not splashing out even more in the transfer market. City did bring in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January, bumping their spending over the last year to £430 million. But here’s the thing—City have also raked in hundreds of millions from player sales, and if you look at net spend over the last five years, six Premier League clubs, including Newcastle (who they’re facing in the Carabao Cup semi-final), have actually outspent them.

Guardiola has pushed back plenty of times against the idea that City just buy their way to success. This time, he couldn’t resist turning the spotlight on the teams that have spent even more. “Honestly, I’m a bit sad and upset because, in terms of net spend, we’re only seventh in the league over the past five years. I want to be first—I don’t get why the club doesn’t spend more. I’m a little grumpy with them,” he laughed.

He kept going: “People say we only win because we spend tonnes of money, but now there are six teams ahead of us. So, they’ve got to win all the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues, and FA Cups, right? That’s just the reality, not an opinion.

“You can argue about how we played against Spurs—good or bad, that’s up for debate. But these spending numbers? That’s just a fact. Good luck to those six teams ahead of us on net spend. Let’s see what they do. That’s a good quote, isn’t it?”

Right now, City has a 2-0 lead over Newcastle with one leg left in the Carabao Cup semi-final. They’re hungry for another trip to Wembley, but hanging onto leads hasn’t been easy for them this season.

“That’s our focus right now,” Guardiola said. “We’re one game away from making a fifth Carabao Cup final in ten years. Sure, I’d rather start 2-0 up, but we know how tough it is against Newcastle. They’ve got Champions League pride; they always fight.

“We’ve got to be ready. Let’s see how the players bounce back after that hard game at Spurs. We’ll play our football, with our fans behind us, and try to book our place at Wembley in March.”

PEP GUARDIOLA ISSUES FORMAL APOLOGY TO REFEREE FARAI HALLAM BEFORE GALATASARAY CLASH

Pep Guardiola apologises to debutant ref Farai Hallam but insists Howard Webb must explain the "handball" no-call vs Wolves.

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Guardiola is right to defend City

Pep Guardiola has apologised for his comments about referee Farai Hallam after Manchester City’s win over Wolves, but he’s not backing down from defending his club.

Guardiola was fired up after the match, especially about a penalty that never came. City beat Wolves 2-0 at the Etihad, closing the gap on Arsenal, but Guardiola was still fuming about Hallam’s call. Hallam, officiating his first-ever Premier League match, chose not to give City a penalty for what looked like a handball by Yerson Mosquera. Even after VAR sent him over to the monitor, Hallam stuck with his original decision. That set Guardiola off.

Tony Cascarino even called out Guardiola for his behaviour after full-time, saying, “Don’t abuse your power!” The penalty no-call became the big talking point, especially in Guardiola’s press conference. He said he’d be waiting for a call from Howard Webb, the head of referees, for some answers.

Now, ahead of City’s Champions League clash with Galatasaray, Guardiola has offered an apology to Hallam. He told reporters, “They defend each other, and that’s normal. But I have to defend my club. Last season was the worst in ten years, and how many times did I criticise referees? If Hallam’s offended, I’m sorry. It’s not easy on your debut. Everyone’s sensitive these days; I get that.”

Still, Guardiola kept pushing for accountability from Webb. “In ten years, I’ve never criticised referees. This season, I’m just giving the reasons why. I have to stand up for my club and my players. Howard Webb stands up for the referees, as he should. But look at what happens in the box during corners and free kicks—every action is a foul now. It’s tough, but I have to look out for my team.”

Hallam, meanwhile, goes back to officiating in the EFL this weekend, following protocol for refs making the jump to the Premier League. Instead of another top-flight game, he’ll be in charge of Stoke vs. Southampton in the Championship.

Back to Guardiola—after Saturday’s game, he didn’t hold back. “The referee had a big debut—now everyone knows him,” he said. “It’s the first time they go to the TV screen and overturn what’s a normal position of the arms. I’m sure Howard Webb will be on TV tomorrow explaining why it’s not a penalty, just like after the United game when there was some doubt. That’s why Jeremy Doku couldn’t play in Norway after what happened with Diogo Dalot. But fine, I’ll wait for the explanation. Don’t wait for Wednesday—Champions League is coming up, and we’re busy. Howard Webb, just explain it tomorrow.”

Speaking of Dalot, he escaped a red card for a reckless challenge on Doku during the Manchester derby earlier this month. Webb later went on ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’ and broke down the decision, saying it was just glancing contact and that Dalot tried to play the ball. VAR agreed and let referee Anthony Taylor’s call stand.

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