On paper, it seemed normal enough. Manchester City 5-0 Sparta Prague. Erling Haaland brace. Probably a header and a tap-in.
The footage of what he actually did, however, is frankly ludicrous. It's hard to even put it down in words. How does one describe a goal that his manager Pep Guardiola said was 'not normal for a human being'?
Haaland had been trying the whole game to score the 'normal' way. After Phil Foden had given City an early lead, the game settled down into a familiar pattern - Sparta in their low block, defending compactly with City having plenty of joy down the wings - with one aim - float a cross to their Norwegian striker.
Haaland was winning plenty of headers as well - as much as Sparta boss Lars Friis felt they had negated him somewhat before his astonishing 58th-minute strike - the City striker could have had a hatful.
Filip Panak, Martin Vitik and Asger Sorensen - the three centre-backs tasked with stopping Haaland had no answer when the Norwegian leapt high. The 24-year-old was winning every header, but a combination of poor direction, saves from Peter Jensen in the Sparta net and hacked clearances off the line meant the ball would just not go in. Not the 'normal' way at least.
And then Savinho picked up the ball on the right wing 20 seconds into the 58th minute of the game. He'd tormented Sparta left-wingback Matej Rynes all game, and it was no different now. A dummy to cut inside, before shimmying his hips to go outside and Rynes was left for dead.
The young Brazilian burst into the box, making his way to the byline, but perhaps overdoing it with his touch. He had the pace to get to the ball but was unbalanced and going down as he floated a cross into the box.
At first glance, it was a poor cross, slightly under-hit and well behind Haaland. The Norwegian made a move towards the ball but was unlikely to get there with his head. What followed was an ingenious improvisation, something probably only Haaland could conceptualise and execute. He'd even scored a similar one when playing for Borussia Dortmund a few years ago.
The first instinct of a striker when a cross isn't destined for their head is to explore alternative options with their foot. Haaland, in a feat of acrobatic brilliance not usually associated with him, began with an attempt at an overhead kick, but when mid-air had to change tack.
The cross had floated away from him and dipped a bit more, a 'regulation' overhead kick - as regulation as it could be, usually happens with the ball making contact with the laces or the instep of the boot. The arc of Haaland's leap coupled with the cross moving away meant it was no longer possible. The Norwegian changed ideas - all of this occurring with milliseconds - and twisted his leg into a backheel, then raising his leg over the ball to make contact.
How he managed to get any power on it is a mystery that even multiple slow-motion replays cannot solve. One can maybe theorise that it's an exceptional amount of ankle strength. The result was a downward backheel jab, with his left leg above his head, all while airborne. It takes an almighty word-jumble to describe Haaland's goal, and perhaps only slow-motion footage can do justice to his effort.
Haaland's acrobatic finish ��
Raphinha at his best ����Vote for your Goal of the Day ��#UCLGOTD | @Heineken
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 23, 2024
As the Norwegian crashed to the floor, so did the ball, taking a bounce before jumping high up past a wrongfooted Jensen and then careering into the net. The reaction of his teammates was telling - just incredulity at what they had witnessed.
Matheus Nunes was close to Haaland when he scored and had perhaps the best view in the ground. "What an amazing goal. I was speechless after that," Nunes told TNT Sports. "When he scored a similar goal against Dortmund I was watching on TV, so to see this live, it was amazing."
Haaland was well aware of what he'd just done while celebrating. A wry smile, a shrug as if to say this was 'normal' for him.
The UEFA Champions League has been witness to many moments from the 'aliens' that came before Haaland - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Keep this up, and aside from their scoring records, the Norwegian will join those two on an other-worldly plane.