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regular-article-logo Thursday, 26 December 2024

Pep Guardiola wants striker to target six

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

Reuters Manchester Published 16.03.23, 03:17 AM
Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola File picture

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.

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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 didn’t know with Messi when it was happening against Leverkusen, they told me in the first interview,” Guardiola said. “But I made a substitution (on Tuesday) because normally when the game is over, I want to... let them play, as many players as possible. Haaland equalled Messi’s record, but he did it in 60 minutes, it’s different.”

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