Joe Cole tips Man City striker Erling Haaland to score 1000 goals after he breaks yet another record
The Norway international, 22, scored his 45th goal in all competitions on Wednesday - more than any other Premier League player has ever done.
Haaland moved to the Etihad in the summer from Borussia Dortmund and Cole congratulated him after City's Champions League quarter-final first leg win.
"It's ridiculous," Cole said of Haaland's impressive performance on BT Sport. "His assist [for Bernardo Silva] was phenomenal. "The scary thing is he's getting better and better. It will be more and more perfect.
"I told Rio [Ferdinand] that I thought he would score 1,000 goals. He laughed at me.
"But look at the numbers, if he plays into his mid-30s and doesn't get injured [he can do it]."
Man City manager Pep Guardiola was delighted with the team's performance as they reached the Champions League semi-finals. "When you're there, you realize how good a team Bayern Munich is," he said.
"It was a tight game for 60 minutes. Many times they played better than us, but after 65 minutes we scored the second goal and that helped us a lot.
Nothing but pure love for this contest! Â #mancity #UCL pic.twitter.com/3r5VqWAXMu
– Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) April 11, 2023
'We've made some changes. When we had the ball, we played better and I'm happy with the result. "I've lived in Munich for two years, I know their spirit and quality. Still a strong match to play.
“We attacked, the second goal was for that. We did it, the way they defended the back four today was amazing.
"Looking at their bench, there's always a threat, it's really good but there's still the second leg."
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Manchester City put on a stellar performance as Pep Guardiola's side beat German giants Bayern Munich with a dazzling display completed by scoring sensation Erling Haaland
The allotted time was only 15 minutes and Erling Haaland did everything but what he normally does.
He has missed what was considered a Guardian in his world, has endured a brutal physical battle, and has become a great helper. And then he did what he usually does.
He anticipates a beautiful John Stones header, breaks out of defense and flies straight into Man City's third place. When he does, he will almost certainly send Pep Guardiola's men into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
And it is fitting that this greatest player is adorned for one of Man City's most astonishing European victories. Because, make no mistake, this Bayern team is not a cup team.
There were times in this fascinating rivalry when it seemed as if the German champions had the upper hand, but this is a Man City team simply overflowing with goals. However, it took them less than half an hour to break the deadlock, and when the opener came, the sky was as blue as lightning.
Rodri looked well organized as he received a routine pass from Bernardo Silva, but twirled inside Jamal Musiala and with what was arguably his weakest shoe, he fired a shot with his foot. Left enough power and a loop to defeat Sommer. There is no doubt that Man City has been the team with the most spectacular performance this season, but there is no doubt that Man City is the team with the most consistent performance this season. Rodri is quite magnificent. And for a brief moment his beautiful strike seemed to rock Thomas Tuchel's side, with a single swing of Sommer's foot preventing Ilkay Gundogan from doubling City's advantage before the break. Break.
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland scores Man City's third goal against Bayern Munich
But Leroy Sane was a timely reminder of Bayern's threat just before the half-time whistle sounded as his 20-yard player pulled a coat of paint up Ederson's right post. It's not as if Bayern were just playing on the counter-attack, with the visitors' possession stats in the first half.
Sane should have leveled shortly after restarting when he pulled away from Manuel Akanji, but Ederson came down smartly and Nathan Ake completed the clearance. This caused a period of pressure that seemed entirely foreign to the city's operations.
Make no mistake, on a dirty night in Manchester City, the weather was stormy and Ederson became their key player. But after the Brazilian made some excellent saves, City found their attack again and Ake should have done better than kick Sommer straight from 10 yards.
However, it was a tumultuous game and the wind once again robbed Man City of sails as De Bruyne appeared to be suffering from a groin injury. He's less than happy to be hooked, but his death has sparked another resurgence in the family's fortunes. Jack Grealish discards a lazy Dayot Upamecano and raises Haaland, who, to the surprise of all but de Silva, chose to go back in time. The little Portuguese player dashed forward and headed home to score.
Almost oddly, Bayern exploded and almost inevitably, Haaland got in on the scoring action with a clever Stones pass. On the contrary, Guardiola can be a little annoyed when his students do not completely subdue Bayern in the final matches of this period.
But it's still just a formality in Munich next week - Haaland notably witnessed it.
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