Erling Haaland Destroys RB Leipzig With Five Goal Haul As Manchester City Cruise Into Champions League Quarter-Finals
Erling Haaland scored a stunning five goals on a record-breaking night for the striker as Manchester City demolished RB Leipzig to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
After being held to a 1-1 draw away in Germany, Pep Guardiola’s side equalled their biggest ever European win with a 7-0 victory on the night to seal an emphatic 8-1 aggregate win.
A masterclass in finishing from Haaland saw him become the youngest player to score 30 Champions League goals and a break a 94-year-old club record as he took his incredible tally for the season to 39 goals.
The Premier League champions wasted little time in putting Leipzig to the sword in Manchester. Haaland opened his account for the night from the penalty spot, converting after 22 minute after Benjamin Henrich’s outstretched arm appeared to block Rodri’s header.
78 seconds later, he doubled his tally, pouncing on a Kevin de Bruyne effort that rattled off the cross bar to head home at close range.
There was perhaps a lucky escape for City midway through the first-half when Ederson rushed out of goal to deal with a Leipzig counter, appearing to take out Konard Laimer in the process.
A yellow card emerged but it was shown to Leipzig’s Timo Werner for protesting the decision not to penalise the City goalkeeper.
The Haaland show resumed just before half-time with the former Borussia Dortmund star making sure that Ruben Dias’ header got across the line from close range.
City had their fourth four minutes into the second-half with Ilkay Gundogan capping a fine move started by Ederson at the other end of the pitch, drilling into the bottom corner.
Haaland was back on the scene three minutes later to get his fourth, burying a rebound after seeing his initial effort saved to take him level with Tommy Johnson for most goals scored by a City player in season with no38.
The record was his shortly after with another instinctive finish, firing another rebound past Janis Blaswich.
That effort saw him match the competition record hauls of Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano, who scored five against Bayer Leverkusen and BATE Borisov respectively. While another record seemed poised to be broken, Guardiola took pity the Liepzig defence, taking off his striker just after the hour-mark.
None will have been more relieved to have seen the back of Haaland than Joško Gvardiol, the Croatia international regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe wanted by Chelsea and Manchester City.
