Football: Five-star Haaland leads Man City to 7-0 Champions League rout of Leipzig

LONDON – Erling Haaland virtually wrote his own record book for Manchester City against RB Leipzig on a thrilling Tuesday night at the Etihad Stadium, but manager Pep Guardiola spoilt what might have been one more.

The Norwegian striker scored five goals, as City steamrolled their German opponents into submission in a 7-0 rout to put them into the Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth consecutive season, before Guardiola substituted him in the 63rd minute.

No player in the history of Europe’s top club competition has scored six goals in a game.

“If he achieved this milestone, the record, at 22, it will be boring. So now he’ll have a target to do it in the future,” Guardiola said. “So that’s why I make a substitution.”

Haaland became only the third player in history to score five goals in a Champions League game, matching Luiz Adriano, who achieved the feat in 2014 for Shakhtar Donetsk, and Lionel Messi, in 2012 for Barcelona.

“I didn’t know with Messi when it was happening against Leverkusen, they told me in the first interview,” Guardiola said of also not allowing his former player to go for six.

“But I made a substitution (on Tuesday) because normally when the game is over, I want to... let them play, as many players as possible.

“Haaland equalled Messi’s record, but he did it in 60 minutes, it’s different. Who knows if he would have played 90 minutes?“

In just 35 games, Haaland has already rewritten City’s history books by scoring 39 goals in all competitions in a single season.

He also became the youngest player to pass 30 in the Champions League with 33 in 25 games playing for three clubs. He has 10 for City this season.

The 22-year-old was a bulldozer in front of the net all night, narrowly missing several other excellent chances in a victory that secured an 8-1 win on aggregate. Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne scored the other two goals.

“I told (Guardiola) I would love to score a double hat-trick but what can I do?” said Haaland, who was hauled off minutes after his fifth goal.

Leipzig manager Marco Rose said he knew his team might be in for a stiff challenge against Haaland.

“He had a great night. He was so hungry,” he said. “He scored goals with the foot and head, won second balls, deep runs. It looked really simple. It was a special night for him.”

Defender Benjamin Henrichs also admitted his side were “eaten up” by Haaland.

“I’ve never lost 7-0 in my career. It’s a totally brutally bitter evening for us,” he said.

“He’s a brutally physical player. He’s difficult to defend and brings so much to the game. The way he played today says a lot about his quality.”

Haaland could just be the key to City’s much-desired Champions League success this season.

Guardiola has won nine major trophies at City but European success has eluded the Spaniard at the club as well as at Bayern Munch, although he did win two Champions League titles with Barcelona.

City narrowly missed out when they suffered a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the 2021 final.

The City boss has found a way to unlock Haaland, insisting that the striker adjusts to the team’s style by becoming an all-round striker just as capable of linking the play as of predatory finishes inside the box.

“Today he scored five goals and I think he had 30 or 35 ball contacts. This is what we were looking for because we had the feeling when you are involved in the game defensively, offensively, when the ball comes to score a goal, you are more precise,” Guardiola said.

“He can do it, but it is difficult to score goals when you don’t touch the ball for 40 or 50 minutes.

“Sometimes it’s his fault because sometimes he doesn’t move... but the other (times) it is our fault where we didn’t find him.”

The fear for City’s opponents is that those minor issues may have been ironed out in time for the most decisive three months of the season. REUTERS, AFP