MANCHESTER :  Rodri struck a wonder goal and Erling Haaland set another scoring record as Manchester City beat Bayern Munich 3-0 on Tuesday to continue their quest for a first-ever Champions League title in their quarter-final first leg. Haaland, who scored City's third goal of the night in the 76th minute, has 45 goals in all competitions, a single-season record for a Premier League player, moving ahead of Mo Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Rodri put Pep Guardiola's team ahead in the 27th minute, cutting the ball back to beat midfielder Jamal Musiala and curling a blistering long-range shot into the top left corner beyond the outstretched hand of Yann Sommer.

"I know that this Bayern team is special," said Guardiola, who managed Bayern from 2013-16. "We got a good result, but we need two strong games. Anything can happen at Allianz Arena. I know that because I was at Bayern for three years." Rodri celebrated with a long knee slide on the rain-soaked turf at the Etihad, while Bayern's new manager Thomas Tuchel threw up his hands in disgust en route to his team's biggest defeat in the Champions League since a 3-0 loss to Paris St Germain in 2017.

"It was very special for me to score my first goal in the Champions League. At that moment we were struggling because they are a great, great team," Rodri told BT Sport. "Sometimes we understand we cannot have 80% possession. They play too. We scored three and could score four but it is a great result." What had been an evenly matched game turned thoroughly in City's favour midway through the second half, and Bernardo Silva scored their second in the 70th minute, heading in a cross from Haaland. The Norwegian got a goal of his own six minutes later, striking from close range. "This never happens to Bayern Munich but credit to Manchester City, they were brilliant in both boxes," former Bayern player Owen Hargreaves said on BT Sport. "Pep had a game plan and it worked beautifully."

Sommer had a busy night and was pressed into action early, almost gifting Haaland a goal in the 14th minute. Taking too long to clear the ball, the striker bulldozed in and got his foot on the ball two yards from the net, but it flew wide.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 13 2023

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