Erling Haaland’s dazzling hat-trick, including two goals within the first five minutes, propelled Manchester City to a 4-2 victory over Chelsea in an English football friendly held in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. The match was part of a pre-season tour for both clubs. Haaland, wearing the captain’s armband, demonstrated his elite status to the 71,280-strong crowd.
The 24-year-old Norwegian striker opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the fourth minute, followed by a second goal just a minute later after capitalizing on a Moises Caicedo error. Oscar Bobb extended City’s lead to 3-0 in the 55th minute with a powerful left-footed shot, and Haaland completed his hat-trick shortly after, giving City a commanding 4-0 lead.
Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke scored late goals in the 59th and 89th minutes respectively, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. This match also served as a preview for the upcoming Premier League season, where Manchester City will face Chelsea on August 18.
In another pre-season fixture, Liverpool defeated Manchester United 3-0 in Columbia, South Carolina. Fabio Carvalho scored the opener in the 10th minute, followed by Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas adding to the tally in the 36th and 61st minutes.
