Haaland rounds off stunning Man City show as Guardiola eyes semi-final spot

11 April 2023 , 23:00

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There were only 15 minutes of regulation time remaining and Erling Haaland had done everything bar what he normally does.

He had missed what passes for a sitter in his world, had enjoyed a brutal physical battle and had fashioned a wonderful assist. And then he did what he normally does.

He anticipated John Stones ’ lovely cushioned header, peeled away from the defensive cover and volleyed in City’s third. In doing so, he almost certainly volleyed Pep Guardiola ’s side into the Champions League semi-finals

And it was fitting that this most astonishing of players should put the decoration on one of City’s more astonishing European wins. Because, make no mistake, this Bayern team is not a team of mugs.

At times during this fascinating contest, it looked as though the German champions had the upper hand but this is a City team that simply oozes goals. It did, though, take them just under half an hour to break the deadlock and when the opener came, it was a bolt from the sky blue.

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Rodri looked well-marshalled when collecting a routine pass from Bernardo Silva but he turned inside Jamal Musiala and, with what is perceived as his weaker boot, struck a left-footer with enough power and curl to beat Sommer. There is no doubting City’s most spectacular performer this season but, equally, there is no doubting City’s most consistent performer this season.

Rodri has been quite magnificent. And for a short while, his beautiful strike seemed to have rattled Thomas Tuchel’s team, only the foot of a sprawling Sommer stopping Ilkay Gundogan doubling City’s advantage before the break.

Erling Haaland scores Man City's third goal against Bayern Munich (Getty Images)

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But Leroy Sane gave a timely reminder of Bayern’s menace just ahead of the half-time whistle when his 20-yarder took a lick of paint from Ederson’s right-hand post. It was not as though Bayern were playing purely on the counter, the visitors shading the first half possession statistics.

Sane should have levelled matters soon after the restart when he coasted clear of Manuel Akanji but Ederson got down smartly and Nathan Ake completed the clearance. That sparked a spell of pressure that must have felt distinctly unfamiliar to this City operation.

Make no mistake, on a filthy Manchester night, City had something of a storm to weather and Ederson suddenly became their key player. But after the Brazilian pulled off a couple of decent stops, City found their attacking feet again and Ake should have done better than firing straight at Sommer from ten yards.

It was, though, a contest that ebbed and flowed and the wind was again taken out of City’s sails when De Bruyne seemed to suffer a groin injury. He was far from happy when he was hooked but his departure initiated another upturn in home fortune.

Jack Grealish dispossessed a dawdling Dayot Upamecano and fed Haaland who, to everyone other than Silva’s surprise, opted to chip to the far past. The diminutive Portuguese dashed in and buried a bullet header.

Almost bizarrely, Bayern had imploded and, almost inevitably, Haaland joined the goalscoring act with his conversion of that intelligent Stones assist. If anything, Guardiola might be a bit annoyed that his men did not put this tie completely out of Bayern’s sights in the final throes of this leg.

But it still should be little more than a formality in Munich next week - the remarkable Haaland has seen to that.