19 April 2023 , 22:17
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Pep Guardiola described Erling Haaland as an “incredible machine” after the Manchester City striker’s 48th goal in 41 games rubber-stamped a Champions League semi-final date with Real Madrid.
And Bernardo Silva fired the first psychological shots ahead of that showdown when he insisted City will get payback for their dramatic defeat at the hands of the Spanish giants at the same stage of last season’s competition.
When asked about revenge for that loss, Silva smiled: “We will go for it. We always go for it but we feel the team is very, very confident at the minute. I think we are going through. We are very consistent, we feel we have a chance in every competition and we are going for them.”
Haaland missed a first half penalty in the Allianz Arena but his 12th strike of City’s European campaign made sure there was no way back into the quarter-final for Bayern Munich.
The German champions did earn a draw on the night, thanks to a late Joshua Kimmich penalty, but Guardiola will now lock horns with Carlo Ancelotti in the last four.
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“He’s 22 years old - he’s an incredible machine,” Guardiola said when talking about Haaland’s penalty miss. “He’ll learn from that but the finish from Erling was really, really good.”
Erling Haaland celebrates scoring in Munich (Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola speaking after Man City's triumph over Bayern Munich (Allstar via Getty Images)City are still gunning for a treble and take on Sheffield United at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.
And Guardiola gave the Blades a glimmer of hope by saying his team was “exhausted” after repelling Bayern’s efforts to mount an unlikely comeback.
He said: "We are exhausted. I don't know how we will recover to play against Sheffield United. Now is a tough moment for the game on Saturday."
City had a few anxious moments but Haaland removed any doubts when he struck in the 57th minute from a Kevin de Bruyne assist.
And Thomas Tuchel’s misery was complete when the Bayern boss was sent to the stands late on after another rant at referee Clement Turpin.