In the knockout stages of the Champions League, Manchester City qualified for the quarter-finals by atomizing RB Leipzig (7-0) thanks to a resounding quintuplet from their Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. In the other match, Inter held FC Porto in check (0-0) and qualified thanks to their victory in the first leg (1-0).
The “cyborg” has struck again. Erling Haaland, a goal-scoring machine, had a festival on Tuesday with his Manchester City club against RB Leipzig (7-0). A quintuple to equal Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi, the only players to have achieved such a performance. With him, the English club can continue to dream of a coronation in the Champions League behind which the team trained by Guardiola has always been running.
5 – Erling Haaland is the 3rd player to score 5 goals in a Champions League game after Luiz Adriano in October 2014 (with Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov) and Lionel Messi in March 2012 (with Barcelona against Bayer Leverkusen). Garden. pic.twitter.com/MHSFvmhPcv
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 14, 2023
Manchester City imperial, but above all varnished in this meeting against Leipzig. The English have indeed benefited from very favorable decisions from the referee of the match, the Slovenian Slavko Vincic of the match. The first turning point of the game came in the 20th minute when City dominated without being dangerous. The referee uses VAR to whistle a penalty after a handball from Benjamin Henrichs in the box. Very severe decision, because the defender, back to the game, barely touches the ball. Erling Haaland, he does not ask any questions and opens the scoring (22nd) by transforming the penalty. Less than two minutes later, the Norwegian striker did it again and doubled the bet with a header (24th) at the end of an action where the referee could have whistled a foul by the City player on the opposing goalkeeper at the start of the action.
Inter resist Porto
Leipzig, sounded, cash. But the German club, like its striker Timo Werner, will have something to blame the referee for. On a German counterattack, goalkeeper Ederson, out far from his goal, comes to stamp the RBL striker, Mr. Vincic does not flinch when the red card could have been shown for the Brazilian…
It’s too much for Marco Rose’s men who will concede a third goal by the inevitable Haaland just before half-time (45 + 2). Held in check in the first leg (1-1) Guardiola’s men folded the return match in one period. Because on the second, apart from the goal of Ilkay Gundogan (49th), and a last one from Kevin de Bruyne, it is the two other achievements of Erling Haaland (53rd, 58th) which will mark the spirits.
The suspense was more present in the other meeting of the evening between Porto and Inter Milan. The Italians, winners in the first leg (1-0), held the shock on the lawn of the Dragons (0-0). Simone Inzaghi’s men certainly trembled in the last seconds, with a save on the line and two shots on the uprights, but were able to resist the pressure from the Portuguese. The Interists join their neighbors Ac Milan in the quarter-finals.
There are only two places left to take this Wednesday for the last two round of 16. Real Madrid and Naples, well launched by their results in the first leg, respectively against Liverpool (5-2) and Frankfurt (2-0), should compost their ticket for the quarter-finals.