Pep Guardiola jokes he purposely denied Erling Haaland double hat-trick chance vs RB Leipzig

Pep Guardiola joked that he took Erling Haaland off one goal short of a double hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed RB Leipzig 7-0 to make sure he still has at least one target left to chase.

City were ruthless in a 7-0 second-leg win that saw them coast into the quarter-finals after a tense first leg. Haaland’s first-half hat-trick was followed up by a second-half brace, becoming just the third man to score five in a single Champions League game.

His haul takes him to 33 Champions League goals, reaching 30 in the quickest amount of games from any player in history, and as the youngest player to reach the landmark.

Not only that, but Haaland’s 39 for the season saw him beat the 94-year record for goals scored for City in a single season, beating Tommy Johnson’s 39 in 1928/29.

Haaland said he told Guardiola that he wanted a double hat-trick when he was substituted on five goals, but Guardiola joked he replaced the striker for his own good.

“If he achieves this milestone at 22, 23, it will be boring his life,” Guardiola joked. “He wouldn’t have a target to reach in the future. Here and everywhere.

“That’s why I make a substitution. I didn’t know about Messi with Leverkusen (when he scored five against them in 2012), but I make a substitution because normally when the game is over we want them to play.”

“He scored five goals. The problem is every time we don’t score two or three he will be criticised. This is the reality.”