Manchester City on Wednesday managed to get a 3-1 win against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League group stage with Erling Haaland scoring a brace in the second half.

The Premier League side fought hard in the first half but couldn’t get to find the back of the net on an artificial pitch in Bern. Despite the tough conditions, Manchester City were able to keep their 100% winning records after wins against RB Leipzig and Crvena Zvezda.

After a goalless first half, Manchester City took the lead through Swiss defender Manuel Akanji three minutes after the break but the lead lasted four minutes before Elia Meschack equalized with a spectacular individual effort.

Haaland scored a penalty in the 67th minute to give the visitors the lead while a Julian Alvarez 74th-minute goal was chalked off by the VAR for handball. Erling Haaland then made it 3-1 with four minutes left on the clock.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola blamed the pitch for the struggles his team face in Switzerland.

“On this pitch, it is more difficult, the ball comes in a different shape. But the way we played positionally was really good. It was a difficult game with the surface and the weather. The environment we are in Young Boys are used to. We played well in the first half and it was a bit back and forth in the second half, but we got the job done.” Pep Guardiola said.

Manchester City’s next game is a Manchester derby against Manchester United in the Premier League as they hope to close down on Tottenham Hotspur who are two points clear at the top of the Premier League standings.

The other game in the group saw RB Leipzig get a 3-1 win over Serbia side Crvena Zvezda in Germany. Manchester City tops the table with nine points while RB Leipzig are in second with six points.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu