RB Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs admits ‘brutal’ Erling Haaland was too hot to handle as the striker’s five-star showing fired Manchester City to a 7-0 Champions League obliteration at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced the German outfit in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, with the score level 1-1 on aggregate heading into the game.
However, after Haaland broke the deadlock following the award of a controversial penalty, City tore Leipzig apart, with the Norwegian completing his hat-trick before half-time.
Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne scored second half goals, while Haaland added two more as City won 7-0 and progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition thanks to an astonishing 8-1 aggregate victory.
Haaland has now scored 39 goals this season – meaning he is City’s all-time top goalscorer in an individual campaign – while he took his Champions League tally to 33 goals, surpassing several greats of the game such as Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Patrick Kluivert.
Following his outstanding individual performance, RB Leipzig defender Benjamin Henrichs admits Erling Haaland was too hot to handle.
“I think we were eaten up out there,” sighed a battered and battle-scarred Henrichs while speaking to BT Sport.
“I’ve never lost 7-0 in my career. It’s a totally brutally bitter evening for us.
“(Haaland) is 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.”
Asked about a contentious first-half penalty the German defender conceded after a VAR review, Henrichs said “we can’t talk about VAR, we need to talk about our own performance.”
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.”
Haaland, 22, has scored 39 goals in 36 games for City, including 10 goals in six matches in the Champions League.
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