Manchester City striker Erling Haaland became the third player in UEFA Champions League history to score five goals in a game as the Norwegian led Manchester City to a 7-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last-16 tie, at the Etihad Stadium.
The hosts featured Haaland in attack, with Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish supporting on the flanks. For RB Leipzig, Timo Werner started up-front while Dominik Szoboszlai and Konrad Laimer were on the wings as they looked to cause an upset.
City were awarded a penalty after a handball by Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs in the box. In-form striker Haaland stepped up and fired the ball into the net to give the hosts the lead. Two minutes later, Haaland scored his second of the night after heading in an effort to beat Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich.
Then just before halftime, Haaland completed his hat-trick after tapping in Ruben Dias’ header which was rolling beyond the reach of Blaswich on the goal line. It was Haaland’s fifth (5th) hat-trick of the season in all competitions for Manchester City.
Early in the second half, Manchester City midfielder IIkay Gundogan made the scores 4-0 after finding the bottom corner of the net with his strike.
City striker Haaland was still in the mood as he scored his fourth goal of the night in the 53rd minute from close range. Then four minutes later, the Norwegian scored his 5th goal in the match to cap off a history making performance at the Etihad Stadium.
Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne then scored Manchester City’s seventh (7th) goal of the night in spectacular fashion, curling in a stunning shot to put the icing on the cake just before the final whistle.
Manchester City claimed a 7-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium, progress to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions league with a 8-1 aggregate victory.
Incredible.#UCL pic.twitter.com/nmY8YRsoO8
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 14, 2023
It was a record-breaking night for the 22-year-old Haaland, who became Manchester City’s top goalscorer in a season as he took his tally for the campaign to 39 goals.
Haaland also became the youngest player to reach 30 Champions League goals as he moved on to 33, hitting that mark in 25 games.
“It’s a big night. Firstly, I’m proud to play in this competition, I love it. Five goals. To win 7-0 is amazing,” Haaland said.
“My super strength is scoring goals. Should I be honest? A lot of goals today, I didn’t think. I was just trying to get it into the back of the net.”
Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League results
FC Porto 0-0 Inter Milan (0-1 on aggregate)
Manchester City 7-0 RB Leipzig (8-1 on aggregate).
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