THE cheat codes Erling Haaland has struck again. The Norwegian made Champions League history by becoming the third player to score a quintuple in the competition on Tuesday evening, when Manchester City spanked Leipzig (7-0) in the round of 16 second leg. Only Lionel Messi with Barça in 2012 and the Brazilian Luiz Adriano in 2014 with Shakhtar Donetsk had achieved such a feat before him. Except that Haaland only spent an hour on the pitch.
“I told Pep (Guardiola) when I left that I would have liked to score a double hat-trick (one in the first half and one in the second), but hey, what do you want? he joked at the final whistle. Well, only halfway. We imagine that the prospect of becoming the first man to score six goals in a C1 match must have tickled him. But if his coach took him out, it was to leave him a few more records to chase in the future. “If he gets there at 22, his life will be boring. Now he can do it in the future, Guardiola said smiling. No, I made the change because the game was over. »
The Norwegian was praised by everyone, of course, including the opposing camp who could only see the damage. “We were eaten on the pitch, I have never lost 7-0 in my career, it’s a really bitter evening for us, noted German defender Benjamin Henrichs. Haaland is a very physical player, it’s difficult to defend against him and he brings a lot to the game. The way he played today says a lot about his qualities. »
The goalscoring machine is now at 39 goals in 36 games for City. A total that already makes him the most prolific scorer in a season in the club’s entire history, beating a record that dates back to 1929. “The problem with him is that as soon as he doesn’t does not score two or three goals in a match, he is criticized, remarks Guardiola. But he is a huge competitor. Who has not finished.