Antonio Nusa pulled RB Leipzig level at 2–2 with a firmly struck shot before being withdrawn after 72 minutes, and Erling Braut Haaland settled the match for Manchester City six minutes later, VG reports. The Norwegian outlet describes the night as a Champions League celebration for Norwegian football, with the national team's two most prominent attackers at the centre of the action in Germany. VG adds that it is unclear whether Nusa's substitution was caused by a minor injury.
Haaland's winner was his 62nd goal in 61 Champions League appearances, according to VG. The City captain, who wore the armband on the night, had shown visible frustration at points during the game but ended up in the position that mattered.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Haaland said he was not sure how many times he touched the ball and suggested it was probably not many, adding that the most important thing was that he managed to help the team win.
Why it matters
The match put two Norwegian internationals in the spotlight on the same European night, and both delivered. VG frames the evening around that pairing: Nusa's equaliser kept Leipzig in the contest, and Haaland's finish decided it shortly afterwards.
For Haaland, the goal continued a scoring rate in Europe's leading club competition that VG describes in stark terms — 62 goals across 61 matches. For Nusa, the concern is different. Norway face Wales and Denmark next week, and VG notes that it is not clear whether his early exit involved a knock. Any doubt over his fitness will be monitored closely given those fixtures.
How the goals arrived
Manchester City's opener came in the 37th minute and owed much to Nico O'Reilly. According to VG, the City left-back broke through almost the entire Leipzig side, delivered a cross, and the ball struck Castello Lukeba on his left knee. VG describes the outcome as an almost comical own goal by the French defender, who was credited with an unfortunate and clumsy touch.
Before that, VG reports, Haaland had barely been involved. The City captain had three touches before the break and made little effort to hide his irritation with a City performance that often did not travel straight up the pitch. TV 2's Stamsø Møller, cited by VG, characterised City's play as slow and crab-like, with forward thrust frequently an afterthought.
Nusa, meanwhile, produced some moments of invention before half-time, though VG notes there was nothing magical about the way City took the lead in Germany.
The closing stretch
After Nusa's equaliser, VG reports that the game opened up. Haaland struck the woodwork twice late on, and one of those situations was ruled offside — a decision VG notes was, as usual, not given against Haaland himself.
VG also highlights the performance of Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandervoordt, who showed why he has kept Ørjan Nyland on the bench. The observation comes in the context of the Norwegian goalkeeping picture, with Nyland, a Norway international, watching from the sidelines at club level.
The night's narrative shifted quickly. VG describes the period just before Haaland's winner as being mostly about Nusa, before the focus swung back to City's captain and the decisive moment.
What to watch
Norway's upcoming meetings with Wales and Denmark will draw attention to Nusa's condition, with VG yet to establish whether his substitution involved an injury. Haaland's involvement and output for City, meanwhile, remain the benchmark the rest of Europe is measuring against.
