Haaland’s Life Would Be ‘Boring’ Had He Set Record, Says Guardiola

Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the team's fifth goal, his fourth, during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Manchester City and RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on March 14, 2023. (AFP)
Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the team's fifth goal, his fourth, during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Manchester City and RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on March 14, 2023. (AFP)
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Haaland’s Life Would Be ‘Boring’ Had He Set Record, Says Guardiola

Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the team's fifth goal, his fourth, during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Manchester City and RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on March 14, 2023. (AFP)
Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the team's fifth goal, his fourth, during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Manchester City and RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on March 14, 2023. (AFP)

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 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 (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. Who knows if he would have played 90 minutes?"

Haaland was a six-foot-four-inch bulldozer in front of the net all night, narrowly missing several other excellent chances in a victory that secured an 8-1 win on aggregate.

"I told (Guardiola) I would love to score a double hat-trick but what can I do?" said Haaland, who was hauled off minutes after his fifth goal.

Leipzig manager Marco Rose said he knew his team might be in for a stiff challenge against Haaland.

"He had a great night. He was so hungry," Rose said. "He scored goals with the foot and head, won second balls, deep runs. It looked really simple.

"He took the ball from the referee, that tells you it was a special night for him. Congratulations to Erling."

Haaland has 10 goals in the Champions League this season, and 33 in his career, reaching the 30-goal mark in 25 games, the fewest ever. He is also the youngest ever to reach that mark.

Guardiola has won nine major trophies at Manchester City but European success has eluded the Spaniard at the club. The closest they came to winning the Champions League was a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the 2021 final.

How much would it mean to finally lift the trophy this season?

"I have three idols in life: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Julia Roberts," Guardiola told puzzled reporters.

"Julia Roberts came to England a few years ago in the period when Man United were not good, we were better, and she came to Man United, she didn't come to see us. Even if I win, it cannot make up for Julia Roberts not coming to see us."



Inter Looking to Power Back up Ahead of Champions League Match at Barcelona

 Inter Milan's Italian coach Simone Inzaghi reacts during the Italian Serie A football match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium in Milan on April 27, 2025. (AFP)
Inter Milan's Italian coach Simone Inzaghi reacts during the Italian Serie A football match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium in Milan on April 27, 2025. (AFP)
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Inter Looking to Power Back up Ahead of Champions League Match at Barcelona

 Inter Milan's Italian coach Simone Inzaghi reacts during the Italian Serie A football match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium in Milan on April 27, 2025. (AFP)
Inter Milan's Italian coach Simone Inzaghi reacts during the Italian Serie A football match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium in Milan on April 27, 2025. (AFP)

Strange things happen when Inter Milan plays Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals.

The last time the two teams met in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition, in 2010, Barcelona had to make a 15-hour journey by bus to Milan after an ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull shut down air space.

Barcelona lost that first leg 3-1 and a stout defensive performance by Inter in the return match saw it advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate — where it beat Bayern Munich to clinch a historic treble under Jose Mourinho.

Inter is hoping it won't have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday.

Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning and Inter’s charter flight was still scheduled to take off for Barcelona at 5 p.m. local time ahead of the first leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.

Barcelona’s 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal said he was caught at the team’s training grounds on the outskirts of the city when power went out just after noon on Monday.

“The truth is that we didn’t know what to do. I was with my teammates all day at the training center,” Yamal said on Tuesday. “The blackout made us all very nervous. But of course, now we are only thinking about the semifinal that we are very motivated to play.”

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be hoping his team can power back up for the game as well.

Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate.

For the first time in more than 13 years, Inter has lost three straight matches without scoring a goal.

Since a 2-2 draw against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals, the Nerazzurri have lost 1-0 to both Bologna and Roma in Serie A and 3-0 to AC Milan in the second leg of their Italian Cup semifinal.

That has also seen them been leapfrogged at the top of the Serie A table by Napoli, slipping three points behind the new league leader.

“The three defeats hurt and we’re not used to this, we have to look at ourselves and try to recover our physical and mental energy,” Inzaghi said.

Those three games, however, had something in common: Marcus Thuram was missing.

Thuram, who has been out with a left thigh issue, has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for Inter this season.

Without the France forward, Lautaro Martinez has appeared fatigued attempting to carry Inter’s attack. And Marko Arnautovic, Thuram’s replacement, has been ineffective.

Thuram has returned to training and could even start on Wednesday.

“We’ll head to Barcelona and we will play them with respect, not fear,” Inzaghi added.