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Manchester City blew RB Leipzig away with a phenomenal 7-0 (8-1 aggregate) victory in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie. Erling Haaland helped himself to a remarkable five-goal haul as the Cityzens sailed through to the quarterfinals.
Haaland moved ahead of European legends Wayne Rooney and Kaka in goals scored in the Champions League. The Norwegian striker has now scored 33 goals in 25 games in Europe's elite club competition.
There was never really any doubt that Manchester City would advance through to the quarterfinals. Their first goal arrived from the penalty spot after a contentious handball decision in the 22nd minute. Haaland made no mistake in dispatching past Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich.
The former Borussia Dortmund frontman added a second just two minutes later. The prolific forward nodded home from close range after Kevin De Bruyne rattled the crossbar with a long-range strike.
Haaland then completed an incredible first-half hat trick in the 45+2nd minute. He was in the right place at the right time to tap home following Blaswich's fine save from Ruben Dias' header.
Manchester City were purring and they grabbed their fourth in the 49th minute. Surprisingly, this time it wasn't Haaland on the scoresheet. Ilkay Gundogan finished off a sublime move that was started by City goalkeeper Ederson. The German drilled a left-footed effort from the edge of the box past Blaswich.
Haaland was then back among the goals in the 53rd minute. He powered home a fierce volley after Manuel Akanji failed to turn home a rebound. The Norwegian's fifth came in the 57th minute. He showed off his typical goalscoring prowess to fire home City's sixth of the night.
Pep Guardiola's side added a seventh and compounded Leipzig's woes in the 90+2nd minute. De Bruyne scored the pick of the bunch as he whipped home a superb strike from 25 yards out.
Haaland is surprising nobody with his goalscoring exploits and he has taken his tally for the season to 39 goals. This is a record for a Manchester City player in a single campaign.
One fan has taken a dig at German fans for giving Leipzig hope against the Eithad giants:
"Bundesliga fans told us they had a chance."
Another dubbed the 7-0 mauling as Haaland's show:
"The Haaland Show (crown)."
Here's how Twitter reacted to Manchester City's 7-0 romp over Leipzig:
Manchester City boss Guardiola's comments about Haaland needing to score five goals per game resurface
Haaland only bagged one goal from the penalty spot in Manchester City's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last Saturday (March 11). Guardiola joked following the victory that the Norwegian is required to score five goals per game. He said (via BBC Sport):
"He has to score five goals every game. So when he doesn't score there is pressure - this guy doesn't have to feel pressure."
The City frontman is dealing with the pressure with absolutely no problem. Many had reservations over how he would fare in the Premier League. He already has 28 goals in 26 league games. That is more than last season's Golden Boot winners Mohamed Salah and Son Heung Min (23).
