Man City 3-0 Bayern Munich from Champions League as Haaland 45th goal of the season
Manchester’s ETIHAD Stadium — Manchester City’s convincing 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal was capped by Erling Haaland’s 45th goal of the year.
When the Norwegian superstar converted John Stones’ knockdown from substitute Julian Alvarez’s cross in the 76th minute, he became the first player in Premier League history to reach that record in all competitions.
Six minutes had passed since Bernardo Silva’s goal, which sent the Etihad Stadium into a frenzy. In that instance, Haaland provided the ball after Jack Grealish made a shrewd play and Dayot Upamecano made a terrible error.
Rodri’s stunning opening goal into the top corner before the half-hour mark put City on par with Bayern, who were competing in Europe for the first time under head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Man City 3-0 Bayern Munich from Champions League as Haaland 45th goal of the season
Man City vs. Bayern Munich final score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| MCI | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| FCB | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goals: —
MCI — Rodri (Bernardo Silva) — 27th minute.
MCI — Bernardo SIlva (Erling Haaland) — 70th minute.
MCI — Erling Haaland (John Stones) — 76th minute.
Haaland was uncharacteristically wasteful in the first half when Grealish teed him up on the edge of the box, only for City’s No.9 to fire straight at Yann Sommer.
Ruben Dias marshalled City’s backline expertly throughout and made a vital block to thwart Jamal Musiala a few moments before Rodri collected Silva’s pass and let fly spectacularly.
Only a special save from Sommer prevented further damage before the break. The Switzerland No.1 was left prone after a collision with Grealish but managed to thrust out a boot to deny Ilkay Gundogan at close quarters.
At odds with their later collapse, Bayern began the second half in the ascendency, with former City winger Leroy Sane to the fore as he forced a couple of saves from Ederson with venomous strikes.
An absent-minded piece of work from Upamecano, foreshadowing Bayern’s demise, almost let in Grealish to score, with Haaland having a shot blocked at the end of that attack.
Pep Guardiola’s side refused to cede the initiative and only Sommer’s brilliance after Silva and Haaland’s goals prevented this from being a more chastening night for Tuchel. Alvarez forced one of Sommer’s reaction stops and the effervescent Argentina forward having to come on for the injured Kevin De Bruyne was the sole blot on City’s night.
