On this day (14 March) in 2023 Erling Haaland scored five against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. It was a phenomenal performance, coming in Manchester City’s 7-0 (8-1 on aggregate) thrashing of the German side.
When asked about the goals afterwards City manager Pep Guardiola commented: ‘Five goals… The problem for this guy is if he doesn’t score two or three goals he will be criticised.’ That just about summed things up well as for weeks prior to this Haaland, despite his incredible record was often criticised by some in the media. For example, the former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher had been critical in February 2023: ‘I’ve felt this season when he’s scored his goals, I think we’ve only seen 60 per cent of Haaland. You think of that goal he scored on the first game of the season against West Ham, the space in behind, he makes that run.’
‘I know that’s not there that often with the way City play. He’s come from a league and Borussia Dortmund where it’s a counter-attacking league and it’s end to end and you see that blistering pace. You don’t see it. He may have actually picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him.’
No one connected with Manchester City was feeling like that, especially not as Leipzig were thrashed.
Haaland’s display against Leipzig took him to 39 goals for the season in all competitions. This is a new City club record for the most strikes in a single season, beating Tommy Johnson’s record established in 1928-29 when he scored 38 in 40 League and cup games. Haaland achieved the record in 36 games. You can read about Tommy Johnson here:
Other records tumbled that night too. Haaland’s five against Leipzig equalled the record for the most goals in a Champions League game. His achievements matched Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, and Luiz Adriano for Shakhtar Donetsk against BATE Borisov in 2014.
After Leipzig, Haaland had scored 33 goals in 25 Champions League games, becoming the youngest player to cross the 30-goal mark at 22 years and 236 days old, 116 days younger than previous recorder holder Kylian Mbappe.
Haaland had netted 10 in the competition by the end of the Leipzig game that was better than any City player had previously managed in a single campaign in the Champions League… and of course the campaign was not over!
After the match Haaland told BT Sport: ‘My super strength is scoring goals. A lot of it is being quick in the mind and trying to put it where the goalkeeper is not…
‘I was so tired after my celebrations.’
Gary James' Football Archive 
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