Manchester City vs RB Leipzig. UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round.
Etihad StadiumAttendance52,038.
8-1
Five goals from Erling Haaland made it a memorable night for Manchester City as they beat RB Leipzig 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium to secure an 8-1 aggregate victory; Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne scored the others as City progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals
Wednesday 15 March 2023 08:25, UK
Erling Haaland scored five goals to power Manchester City into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 7-0 win over RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium.
The tie had been precariously balanced after a 1-1 draw in Germany but Haaland took the game away from City's opponents with a first-half hat-trick and added two more before the hour on an astonishing night. His tally for the season now stands at 39.
Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne grabbed the other goals but the evening belonged to the 22-year-old Norwegian. He is the first man in nine years to score five in a Champions League game and it might have been more had Pep Guardiola not withdrawn him.
The City boss knows there are bigger tests ahead and though Arsenal retain a five-point lead in the Premier League title race, with Guardiola's team now in two quarter-finals - and Haaland in this mood - a spectacular finale to the season could yet lie ahead.
His first of the night came from the penalty spot, a harsh handball decision going against Benjamin Henrichs following a VAR check. The second, just two minutes later, was magnificent, a towering header after De Bruyne's shot had struck the crossbar.
The third ricocheted in off him from barely a yard out after Ruben Dias' header had rolled along the line, but Haaland makes a habit of being in the right place. His fifth hat-trick of the season in this stadium. The second of them to come before the half-time whistle.
Ederson was fortunate to escape punishment when he clattered into Konrad Laimer after racing out of his area, while Timo Werner missed his kick when well placed to pull one back. But that occasional sloppiness at the back never really looked like being costly.
Not when they were so potent at the other end of the pitch.
Not when Haaland was around.
The fourth was a fine team goal that involved the striker and finished with Jack Grealish setting up Gundogan for a left-footed effort into the far corner. With Leipzig beaten, all that talk of Haaland struggling to see the ball felt farcical - it appeared drawn to him.
Janis Blaswich did well to save his header but could not keep out the rebound. Then he had his fifth when the goalkeeper denied Manuel Akanji but not the man of the moment. There was almost disbelief at this point. Only his substitution spared the Bundesliga side.
De Bruyne had the final say. In a week in which his manager had told him to focus on the simple things, he duly completed the rout by curling the ball into the top corner of the net with the final kick of the match. More brilliance from the Belgian.
With the famous Poznan celebration having an airing, it made for a joyous occasion. Remarkable given what was on the line. Guardiola had said beforehand he knows his time at City will be judged by some on whether he wins the Champions League.
Haaland's presence means that he finally might.
Asked what he felt was his 'super-strength', Haaland replied: "My super-strength? I think after scoring five goals I have to say scoring goals.
"Should I be honest? A lot of goals today I didn't think, I was just doing it. On the penalty, I was just trying to get the ball into the back of the net, same with the second goal, same with the third goal, same with every goal.
"I didn't think on every single goal. I think a lot of it is just being quick in the mind and trying to do the right thing, trying to put it where the 'keeper is not.
"I think a little bit of it is quality but a lot of it is in the head, I think."
Asked about Guardiola's decision to substitute him with half an hour remaining, Haaland added: "I told him, I would love to score a double hat-trick but what can we do?!"
The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals take place at 11am UK time on Friday, March 17 in Nyon, Switzerland at UEFA's headquarters.
The eight last-16 winners are involved in an open quarter-final and semi-final draw.
There are no seedings and no country protection, so clubs can face opposition from the same country. They can also draw teams they previously played in the group stage.
A final draw will also take place to determine the 'home' side for administrative reasons for the showpiece event in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.
You can follow the draw with Sky Sports' live blog, so you can keep across everything right here.
Manchester City host Burnley in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday. They resume Premier League action after the international break when they face Liverpool on April 1 at the Etihad Stadium.
RB Leipzig travel to relegation-threatened Bochum back in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
