Champions League 2022-23: 'Unreal' Erling Haaland breaks records as he nails 5 vs Leipzig; netizens astonished
UEFA Champions League 2022-23: Manchester City decimated RB Leipzig 7-0 in the second leg of the pre-quarters at home, winning 8-1 in the aggregate, while Erling Haaland's five-goal wonder has records going for toss and netizens in awe.
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FollowEnglish champion Manchester City was undoubtedly the favourite, heading into Tuesday's second leg of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League (UCL) at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester against German giants RB Leipzig. However, no one expected it to be so one-sided, as the sheer dominance displayed by the hosts, aided by Erling Haaland's unreal five-goal performance, was too good to be handled by the visitors.
It all began with Haaland, who found the back of the net in the 22nd minute, followed by 24th, 45th+2, 53rd and 57th, while Ilkay Gündogan also aided him in the 49th and Kevin De Bruyne in the 90th+2. As a result, it was evident that the Norwegian sensation had sent the records tumbling while netizens were all over social media to shower acclaim on him.
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As for the records Haaland smashed:
- He has 33 goals in the UCL, the most at his age and is also the youngest to hammer 30 goals in the tournament (22 years, 2336 days).
- It was his fifth hat-trick this season, the most in the big-five league, and he is also the first English Premier League (EPL) player to do so since Harry Kane in 2016-17.
- He is the third to score five goals in a UCL tie after Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi.
Following his thunderous performance, Haaland told BT Sport, "It's all a bit blurry in my head. I am trying to remember the goals. I just remember shooting and [not] thinking. I'm so tired after the celebrations. A lot of the goals, I didn't think. I just wanted to get the ball in the back of the net—the same with the second goal, with the third goal, with every goal. I think a lot is being quick in mind and trying to do the right thing [in the moment]. A lot of it is in the head, I think."
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Meanwhile, City head coach Pep Guardiola praised the Norwegian and credited his defence for the victory. "Right now, we defended well. The goals we have scored all the time in all the seasons. But, of course, having someone like Erling, like Julian [Alvarez], as we had with Sergio [Aguero] before or Gabriel [Jesus], who has the instinct to score the goals... in this competition, in one moment, he can score. It's important."
When asked if he believed that Haaland would have got his sixth, Guardiola wondered, "It was five in 60 minutes, no more than that. If he played 90 minutes... I don't know. He's an incredible guy. He has the power and the mentality. He's a serial winner."
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