Man City 7-0 Leipzig (agg: 8-1): Haaland hits five on record-breaking night

Erling Haaland struck five goals in a scintillating 63-minute display as Manchester City sauntered past Leipzig and into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on a record-breaking night in north-west England, winning 8-1 on aggregate.

Match in brief: Haaland unstoppable

Erling Haaland celebrates with Bernardo Silva after his second of the nightManchester City FC via Getty Ima

Leipzig actually made the brighter start, but when Haaland tucked in a penalty midway through the first half the dam burst. The Norwegian quickly nodded in a second – his 30th of the competition – and by half-time he had a hat-trick (perfect, of course), forcing in with his right foot.

İlkay Gündoğan got in on the action shortly after the restart, but the irrepressible Haaland would not be out of the limelight for long – three minutes to be exact, as for the second time the ball came back off the bar and landed at his magnetic feet. A record-equalling fifth soon followed and he exited to a deserving standing ovation.

Perhaps the goal of the night came at the death, Kevin De Bruyne with a sumptuous strike. Yet not for the first time, and surely not the last, the night belonged to Haaland.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Erling Haaland (Man City)

"Kevin De Bruyne showed outstanding class with his vision and passing but to score five in a Champions League knockout match is an outstanding achievement. Ruthless finishing."
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Matthew Howarth, Man City reporter

So, does Haaland make City worse? The Norwegian delivered the most emphatic of responses against Leipzig, his five-goal salvo sending City roaring into the quarter-finals for the sixth successive campaign. What can you say about the 22-year-old that hasn't already been said? He is sensational. He is ridiculous. Simply put, he is the most extraordinary goalscorer the majority of us will ever get to see.

Steffen Potter, Leipzig reporter

Key absentees stacked the odds against Leipzig even before kick-off, but that alone could not explain this performance. City had a similar amount of possession in the first half in Germany as they did tonight, yet while then Leipzig were able to contain them, here they were pulled apart. Ultimately, it was the lack of initiative at the back that was the root cause of this big second-leg defeat.

Reaction 

Erling Haaland, Man City forward: "I'm a bit blurry in my head so I don't remember the goals. I remember shooting, not thinking. I was so tired after the celebrations. It's a big night. I'm really proud to play in the Champions League – I love this competition, as everybody knows. Five goals, to win 7-0 in this competition – I'm really happy."

Josep Guardiola, Man City manager: "Five in 60 minutes! Incredible guy, huge talent. Power, mentality – he's a serial winner. It was a really good performance from everyone from minute one. We played very well with and without the ball. We scored a lot of goals. Erling was amazing but everyone was exceptional."

Marco Rose, Leipzig coach: "We never got into the game. That is my responsibility. We conceded the goals in a manner that makes this very bitter. City more than deserved their win. When Erling is close to the goal, he wants to grab one. He scored four – no, even five tonight."

Benjamin Henrichs, Leipzig defender: "I have never before lost 7-0 in my career. It's a brutal and bitter evening for us. Haaland is physically very strong. He has a lot to offer; it is very difficult to defend him."

Key stats

• Haaland is only the third man to score five in a Champions League game, following Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 2012) and Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar, 2014).
• The Norwegian is the youngest to reach 30 Champions League goals (22y 236d), surpassing Kylian Mbappé (22y 352d).
• Haaland reached the 30-goal landmark in just 25 games, breaking a record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy (34 matches).
• City equalled their biggest ever win in UEFA competition, matching the scoreline they achieved against another German side, Schalke, at the same stage of the 2018/19 season.
• The Manchester club are through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the seventh time in eight campaigns, and sixth season running.
• Leipzig suffered their heaviest away defeat in Europe, surpassing the 5-0 loss across Manchester at Old Trafford in 2020.
• City are 23 games unbeaten at home in the Champions League (W21 D2), since a 2-1 loss to Lyon in 2018.

Fantasy star performers

Erling Haaland – 25
Kevin De Bruyne – 11
Manuel Akanji – 11

Line-ups

Man City: Ederson; Stones (Sergio Gómez 63), Akanji, Rúben Dias, Aké; Rodri (Phillips 64); Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gündoğan (Mahrez 55), Grealish (Foden 55); Haaland (Álvarez 63)

Leipzig: Blaswich; Henrichs (Klostermann 80), Orbán, Gvardiol, Raum; Laimer, Kampl, Haidara (Simakan 62); Szoboszlai (Olmo 72), Forsberg (André Silva 63); Werner (Poulsen 62)