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Manchester City's star striker, Erling Haaland, has urged his team to 'step up' their performance despite netting the decisive goal in a thrilling 3-2 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium. Haaland, continuing his impressive run against former Bundesliga rivals, scored his 13th goal in nine appearances against them.
The match saw City take an early lead through an own goal by Castello Lukeba in the 37th minute. However, RB Leipzig fought back, with Ridle Baku equalizing in the 49th minute and Antonio Nusa leveling the score again in the 61st minute, shortly after Enzo Fernandez had restored City's lead. It was Haaland's close-range finish in the 78th minute that ultimately secured the crucial win for the Premier League giants.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Haaland emphasized the need for a more attacking approach. "I think we need to step up a little bit. When we were 1-0, we needed to push forward more for the second and then hopefully the third. That's what we have to do as a club," he stated. He highlighted areas for improvement, including ball retention and coordinated offensive and defensive play. Despite registering only 13 touches, Haaland expressed satisfaction with his match-winning contribution, stating, "What is most important is I helped the team to win, and I managed to do that, so I'm super happy."
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