Manchester City 7 RB Leipzig 0 (Man City win on 8-1 on agg)
It was the moment when RB Leipzig’s shattered players could exhale. There were 62 minutes on the clock and a bright, red number nine on the Manchester City substitutes’ board. For the German club, the ordeal was over. Erling Haaland was coming off.
As City’s wrecking ball of a centre forward departed, a broad smile on his lips, there was a slightly awed burst of applause from all sides, Pep Guardiola joining in on the touchline. Haaland had previously scored four hat-tricks in City colours during a season in which he has relentlessly dismantled records. But five in one game? And a Champions League last 16 tie at that?
This was extra special and everybody knew it. When Haaland had scored his fifth and City’s sixth, extending the fingers and thumb of one hand and asking the fans to count them – his father, Alfie, celebrating wildly in the stands – it gave him 39 goals for the season; a new club record, taking him past Tommy Johnson’s 38 from 1928-29.
What this masterclass of bullying power, hard running and lethal shooting did was send a message across Europe. Guardiola has been getting closer to the Holy Grail of a Champions League win with City, a final and a semi-final in the past two seasons. With Haaland now on board, the possibilities are tantalising. City equalled their record win in the competition – the 7-0 against Schalke from 2019 – when Kevin De Bruyne curled home a stoppage-time beauty. The occasion was transcended by his team-mate.
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Guardiola’s Champions League story at City seems to flash before everybody’s eyes on these kind of nights – majoring on all of the heartbreak in the knock-out rounds – and it had done in a literal sense before kick-off, the big screen including footage of him looking sad after defeats and consoling broken players. “This season feels a little bit different,” was the upbeat message at the end.
It remains a mystery as to how City fell to Real Madrid in last season’s semi-final and let’s not get started about Tottenham in the 2019 quarter-final. VAR even made an intervention in the montage. It would make an early one in City’s favour to shape the evening.
There were no appeals from anybody in sky blue after the ball had zinged around in the area following a corner, City players taking swipes and Haaland failing to control a difficult ricochet at the far post. Moments later, De Bruyne was a little late on Josko Gvardiol and that was when the referee, Slavko Vincic, was advised to consult the pitchside monitor.
Surely De Bruyne’s tackle was not that bad? Then the freeze-frames showed that a Rodri header on the corner had gone into the arm of Benjamin Henrichs, which was outstretched, albeit he had his back to the ball as he jumped. It was the definition of a letter of the law decision, so harsh on Leipzig.
Haaland rammed home with the minimum of sentiment and that was him up and running, feeling for Leipzig’s jugular. His second came straight after the restart, a goal to showcase his hustle, athleticism and predatory instinct. Haaland forced Janis Blaswich to rush a clearance and, when Manuel Akanji volleyed back from halfway, Haaland twisted to nod back to De Bruyne. What followed was all about the purity of De Bruyne’s technique, a run in traffic followed by a scorching drive that came back off the crossbar. Haaland devoured the rebound.
Everything went against Leipzig before the interval, including the moment when Ederson left his area and cleaned out Konrad Laimer only for Vincic to say no to the foul and book an incredulous Timo Werner for dissent.
City could have had more during a golden first period, although Jack Grealish did blot his copybook with an attempted dive in the area. Ilkay Gündogan had blasted high at the outset while Haaland almost nipped on to a long ball that he had no right to reach. At 2-0, Haaland hammered for the near corner only for Blaswich to save while Gündogan also extended the goalkeeper after De Bruyne’s quick free-kick.
Leipzig’s task had been made to feel impossible by Haaland’s final act of the first half. Rúben Dias’s header from a corner had kissed the inside of the post and run across the line, Amadou Haidara trying to spin and clear but feeling Haaland behind him. City’s No 9 practically tackled the ball in. He will get you whichever way.
It was always going to be a long and punishing second half for the team that sits third in the Bundesliga, who have taken more points than anyone else since Marco Rose’s appointment last September. City attacked remorselessly, Haaland scenting blood and the goals continued to flow, Leipzig powerless.
It was almost laughably easy for City. And Haaland, who profited from two more corners, lashing home a pair of rebounds. Gündogan had scored the fourth straight after half-time, driving low into the far corner to draw the thousand yard stare from Rose and the ordeal could not end quickly enough for Leipzig, even after the mercy move of Haaland’s withdrawal. – Guardian
