Haaland gives Leipzig a ‘brutally bitter evening’

Erling Haaland virtually wrote his own record book for Manchester City against RB Leipzig on a thrilling night at the Etihad Stadium, but manager Pep Guardiola spoiled what might have been one more.

Haaland scored five goals as City steamrolled their German opponents into submission in a 7-0 rout to put them into the Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth consecutive season before Guardiola substituted him in the 63rd minute.

No player in Champions League history has scored six goals in a game.

"If he achieved this milestone, the record, at 22, will be boring, his life, so now he'll have a target to do it in the future, here and everywhere," Guardiola said. "So that's why I make a substitution."

Haaland became the third player in history to score five goals in a game, matching Luiz Adriano, who achieved the feat in 2014 for Shakhtar Donetsk, and Lionel Messi, in 2012 for Barcelona -- with Guardiola as coach.

"I told (Guardiola) I would love to score a double hat-trick but what can I do?," Haaland, who has now scored 10 goals in six Champions League games this season, said on being substituted in the 63rd minute, six minutes after netting his fifth goal of the night.

"I'm blurry in my head. I remember shooting but not thinking," Haaland told BT Sport. "I was so tired after my celebrations."

"My super strength is scoring goals. Should I be honest? A lot of goals today, I didn't think (through). I was just trying to get it into the back of the net. A lot of it is being quick in the mind and trying to put it where the goalkeeper is not."

Haaland has now scored 10 goals in six Champions League games this season.

RB Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs said his side were "eaten up" by an Erling Haaland-led City.

Haaland scored five goals, including a first half hat-trick, as City blew the German visitors out of the water to qualify 8-1 on aggregate.

Henrichs was at a loss to explain how his side, who came into the match on level pegging from the first leg, could lose so convincingly.

"I think we were eaten up out there," he said. "I've never lost 7-0 in my career. It's a totally brutally bitter evening for us."

Henrichs said Haaland, who moved from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City last season, dominated Leipzig with his physicality.

"He's a brutally physical player. He's difficult to defend and brings so much to the game.

"The way he played today says a lot about his quality."

Leipzig manager Marco Rose, who coached Haaland at Dortmund and Red Bull Salzburg, said he knew the threat posed by the Norwegian.

"I know Erling well and I know his quality -- and how he can perform. When Erling sees the goal, he wants to score."