Erling Haaland he is 22 years old and He is already one of the all-time goalscorers in the Champions League, a competition that has accumulated statistics for more than 30 years. And the Norwegian breaks them all. The Etihad attended the day of the beast to annihilate Leipzig and ensure the presence, one more edition, of Guardiola’s City in the quarterfinals. Three goals in just 45 minutes and another two more in twelve minutes in the second halfthat put an end to the debate, if there ever was one, of the offensive production of the striker of the moment.
Qualifiers and figures are exhausted to talk about the voracity of the 9 skyblue. Gone are the records of scoring precocity for Ral or scoring production in fewer games for Van Nistelrooy. Not even Messi can keep up with him in that dance of numbers. The Norwegian, who is questioned by some imprudent because he is a couple of games without seeing the goal, He has already scored 39 goals in 37 games this season with Manchester City. In his first season, at the age of 22.
The match itself had little history beyond the Norwegian’s display. served to remind that De Bruyne is a key footballer in Guardiola’s team -was not in the first leg- and that the English team is fearsome when they put the machinery to work. He dominated from beginning to end under the direction of the Belgian and accumulated chances until the goals fell due to his own weight. Norwegian giant kilos.
disputed penalty
The party got unstuck, yes, with a controversial action. After a chance from Gndogan and a one-on-one from Haaland himself, a header from Rodri from a corner kick grazed the arm of Henrichs. the slovenian Vincic did not see anything but hernndez hernndez, from the VAR, decided to warn the referee of the infraction. Haaland did not fail from eleven meters. Almost on the next play, pressure from 9 citizen on Blaswich led to a shot from De Bruyne hitting the crossbar. In the rejection, the usual one appeared to head the ball into the net.
The third, just before the break, was a demonstration of hunger with which Haaland comes out every game on the pitch. A headbutt from Ruben Dias crashed into the stick. The ball drifted along the goal line and, as Henrichs was preparing to clear, the City striker arrived to take everything ahead and get into the goal with the ball.
Guardiola ends the party
Any hint of a German miracle was erased with a stroke of the pen upon returning from the locker room. After four minutes she put the lace Gndogan with a whiplash on the front that was the fourth goal for Guardiola’s men. And when it seemed that the Haaland festival had come to an end, the Norwegian appeared again. And twice. In a matter of five minutes he scored another two goals to turn the Etihad upside down.
And the story could continue if it weren’t for Guardiola was given the logical coach attack and removed his striker with the tie already resolved. From there, without any incentive for the final stretch of the game, City slowed down, the two teams moved the benches and the Etihad began to digest the historic night they just witnessed. De Bruyne, with a great goal, closed the party. Erling Haaland is on his way to being the striker of strikers, the goal man never seen before. Let Messi and Cristiano tremble. The Norwegian scores goals while asleep and has a whole career ahead of him. The Champions League for City, with the giant in their ranks, I know it should be an obligation.
