Rico Lewis praised Erling Haaland as the Norwegian striker continued his impressive scoring run, helping Manchester City secure a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola’s team remained unbeaten in the group stage with their win at Estadio de la Ceramica, thanks to first-half goals by Haaland and Bernardo Silva.
Haaland has now scored in each of his last 12 matches for club and country, amassing 22 goals in this period.
Guardiola made four changes to his starting lineup, resting Phil Foden from their weekend win against Everton, as City ended their year-long winless streak away in Europe.
“Haaland is incredible… he’s tough to defend against, works tirelessly, and always wants to score,” Lewis told TNT Sports.
“We felt in control for most of the match. There’s always room for improvement… they had moments we could have stopped, but we must be critical if we aim to win the competition.”
Haaland narrowly missed a header early on as City began dominating and exploiting Villarreal’s defensive gaps, with Savinho impressing.
Lewis assisted Haaland’s opening goal after 17 minutes, delivering a precise pass for the striker to score from close range.
Villarreal, third in La Liga, started to gain momentum, but City secured a second goal before halftime to halt their progress.
Savinho’s cross found Silva unmarked, who headed past Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Junior, effectively sealing the match.
City lost midfielder Nico Gonzalez to injury before the hour mark, a setback considering key player Rodri Hernandez is also out.
The English side dominated the second half until the last 20 minutes when Villarreal posed a threat.
City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a great save from Nicolas Pepe’s shot, with the Ivorian forward also missing a header.
Pepe’s volley went over as City successfully defended against the hosts.
At the other end, Haaland’s powerful shot was well saved by Luiz Junior.
The goalkeeper made another excellent save to keep the 25-year-old Norwegian to one goal, no small feat recently.
With five minutes left, Guardiola introduced Omar Marmoush for his first match since August after a knee injury.
Villarreal nearly scored in the final moments when Renato Veiga’s header hit the post, leaving Donnarumma helpless.
Marcelino Garcia Toral’s team remains winless in Europe this season, with only one point from their first three games.
“Things are looking promising, we’re improving daily, which is a positive sign,” Guardiola told Movistar, satisfied with his team’s progress.
