January 21, (THEWILL) — Manchester City suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat in Norway, where Kasper Hogh scored twice to overshadow Erling Haaland on his return to his homeland. Pep Guardiola’s side fell apart defensively at the Aspmyra Stadion, conceding three goals before Rodri’s dismissal compounded their misery.
Kjetil Knutsen’s hosts opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Hogh demonstrated excellent awareness, flicking the ball to Ole Didrik Blomberg before meeting the return cross with a downward header that beat Gianluigi Donnarumma. The striker added his second just 119 seconds later, side-footing home confidently after Blomberg dispossessed Max Alleyne and delivered another dangerous ball from the right flank.
Jens Petter Hauge extended the advantage in the 58th minute with a sensational long-range effort, weaving through City’s midfield before curling a magnificent strike into the top-right corner. Rayan Cherki responded almost immediately following neat footwork from Nico O’Reilly, but any hopes of a comeback evaporated when Rodri received two yellow cards in 53 seconds for stopping counter-attacks.
Hogh had two further efforts ruled out for offside and missed chances to complete his hat-trick before the interval, whilst Haaland misfired at the opposite end. Donnarumma denied Andreas Helmersen late on, but the damage had been done.
The result keeps the Norwegian side’s play-off hopes alive whilst seriously damaging City’s chances of finishing in the top eight positions.
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.
