Man City 7-0 RB Leipzig as five-star Erling Haaland demolishes Bundesliga side
ETIHAD STADIUM, MANCHESTER — Erling Haaland plundered an astonishing five-goal haul as Manchester City stormed into a 6-0 lead against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16.
A cagey start to proceedings on the back of last month’s first leg finishing 1-1 was blown apart when Haaland converted a 22nd minute penalty after the VAR spotted a Benjamin Henrichs handball from a left-wing corner.
Man City 7-0 RB Leipzig as five-star Erling Haaland demolishes Bundesliga side
The lead doubled within two minutes when Kevin De Bruyne — back in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI — thundered a left-footed strike against the crossbar and Haaland headed the rebound into an unguarded net.
Haaland brought up his fifth hat-trick of the season after Ruben Dias hit the post from a corner in first-half stoppage time and further dismal set-piece defending from Leipzig meant City’s No. 9 was able to match Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano’s record of five in a single Champions League match after Ilkay Gundogan got in on the act four minutes into the second half.
Man City 7-0 RB Leipzig as five-star Erling Haaland demolishes Bundesliga side
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| MCI | 3 | 3 | — |
| RBL | 0 | 0 | — |
Goals:
MCI — Erling Haaland (pen) —22nd minute.
MCI — Erling Haaland — 24th minute.
MCI — Erling Haaland — 45th+2 minute.
MCI — Ilkay Gundogan (Jack Grealish) — 49th minute.
MCI — Erling Haaland — 54th minute.
MCI — Erling Haaland — 57th minute.
Kevin De Bruyne returns to the starting lineup after being on the bench for Saturday’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. Riyad Mahrez has only made one Premier League appearance as a substitute since opening the scoring in Leipzig and is again among the substitutes as Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish complete the front three either side of Erling Haaland.
Man City starting XI (4-3-3): Ederson (GK) — Stones, Akanji, Dias, Ake — De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan — Silva, Haaland, Grealish
Man City subs: Ortega (GK) Carson (GK), Walker, Laporte, Lewis, Gomez, Phillips, Perrone Palmer, Foden, Alvarez, Mahrez
Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick when Leipzig lost 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium in last season’s group stage but the France international is set to miss out with a hamstring injury. Midfielder Xaver Schlager, goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi and centre-back Abdou Diallo are also sidelined.
Illness swept through the Leipzig camp before their weekend game with Borussia Monchengladbach, although Timo Werner, Konrad Laimer, Dominik Szoboszlai and Lukas Klostermann were all involved in the matchday squad for a 3-0 win, with Werner opening the scoring.
RB Leipzig starting XI (4-3-3): Blaswich (GK) — Henrichs, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum — Laimer, Kampl, Haidara — Szoboszlai, Werner Forsberg
RB Leipzig subs: Nyland (GK), Nickisch (GK), Simakan, Halstenberg, Klostermann, Olmo, Clark, Poulsen, Silva, Ba
