January 29, (THEWILL) — Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki struck first-half goals to send Manchester City through to the UEFA Champions League last 16 with a 2-0 victory over Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium. City finished eighth in the table after Benfica defeated Real Madrid 4-2 in a concurrent fixture.
The Norwegian striker opened the scoring in the 10th minute, chipping expertly over Ururcan Cakir after receiving Jeremy Doku’s pass through the defence. Haaland had wasted an unmarked header just three minutes into the contest, but made amends swiftly with composed finishing.
Cherki doubled the advantage before the half-hour, meeting Doku’s cross to find the bottom corner with precision. Nico O’Reilly forced a save from Cakir before Phil Foden, replacing the injured Doku, missed a clear opportunity on the stroke of half-time by shooting over the crossbar.
Galatasaray increased their intensity in the second period, though Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Victor Osimhen with a stretching save. Omar Marmoush saw Cakir make a strong stop at the opposite end, whilst Davinson Sanchez tested Donnarumma late on with a swerving effort that the goalkeeper gathered comfortably.
The Turkish side clinched a play-off berth and will face either Juventus or Atletico Madrid for progression to the knockout rounds.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
