Erling Haaland chasing Cristiano Ronaldo's record as Eddie Howe's Newcastle rotation backfires - Champions League hits and misses
Plus: Eddie Howe's decision to rotate comes back to bite him as Newcastle are beaten by Borussia Dortmund as the German side recover from their Der Klassiker disappointment; Celtic dealt another harsh lesson in Europe with the Scottish side bottom of Group B after four games
Wednesday 8 November 2023 00:27, UK
After Erling Haaland twisted his ankle in Saturday's thrashing of Bournemouth, there was scepticism about risking him against Young Boys ahead of a tough run starting with a trip to Chelsea on Sunday in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports.
But Haaland, who was second behind Lionel Messi at this year's Ballon d'Or awards, is thinking of a much bigger picture when he applies the pressure on Pep Guardiola to let him play.
After finishing as the Champions League's top scorer in two of the last three seasons, he knows just what is required to take home that prize. He didn't want to miss the chance to add to his tally against one of the weaker teams in the competition.
Haaland didn't waste his chance, either, scoring twice to take his total to 39 Champions League goals in 34 games. At just 23, he can already set his sights on Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 140.
The Norway striker needs 102 goals to surpass Ronaldo which, at his current rate, would take 89 more games. There's a long way to go, but Haaland is on his way.
Zinny Boswell
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Eyebrows were raised when Eddie Howe named his Newcastle team for the 2-0 loss at Dortmund. Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon — two of the four attacking players available at his disposal — named on the bench had little sense to it.
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