Champions League

MICAH RICHARDS was left hilariously embarrassed after Jamie Carragher mocked him in front of Erling Haaland.Haaland, 22, scored FIVE goals against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last-16 on Tuesday night as Manchester City clinched a 7-0 win at the Etihad and an 8-1 victory on aggregate.
Jamie Carragher mocked Micah Richards in front of Erling HaalandCredit: Twitter / @Carra23
Richards was left embarrassed after Carragher pointed out the incredible statCredit: Twitter / @Carra23
It takes his tally for the season to a remarkable 39 goals in 36 games, with more than two months left of the campaign.
And Liverpool legend Carragher was quick to point out Haaland has now reached the same number of goals scored by Man City’s entire team in the 2006/07 season.
That was a season in which Richards racked up 34 appearances for the club.
And after Carragher became aware of the statistic, he was quick to bring it up to both Haaland and his despondent colleague.
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Speaking to the Norwegian on CBS Sports Golazo after his five goals, Carragher said: “Well, you [Haaland] talk about trying to score more goals. There was an actual Manchester City team who couldn’t score more goals than you.”
He then turned to Richards and added: “And that was the team he played in. In the mid-2000s they scored 39 in a season.
“You’ve got that on your own and we’re only in mid-March. Micah!”
A dumbstruck Richards responded: “Wow, you doing me like that, Jamie?”
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Haaland, Carragher and Richards then proceeded to laugh it off as the ex-Man City defender took the jibe in good jest.
It came after Haaland joked Thierry Henry was the only member of the panel that knew how to score goals.
Man City are continuing to search for their first Champions League trophy.
Progress through to the quarter-finals means they have now reached the last eight in each of the last six seasons.
But they have fallen short of claiming European silverware, losing to Chelsea in the final in 2021, before being beaten in dramatic fashion by Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year.
Pep Guardiola’s men will be hoping Haaland is the missing piece of the jigsaw.
The former Borussia Dortmund man has already bagged ten goals in six Champions League appearances this season.
He is the top scorer in the competition ahead of Mohamed Salah on eight and Kylian Mbappe on seven. More

LIVERPOOL’S last starting XI at Real Madrid made club legend Steven Gerrard realise his time at the club was coming to an end.The Reds travelled to the Spanish capital in 2014 for a crucial group stage fixture.
Steven Gerrard was benched for Liverpool’s trip to Real Madrid in November 2014Credit: PA:Press Association
The legendary Liverpool captain wasn’t brought on until the 69th minuteCredit: Getty
Brendan Rodgers’ men had endured a stuttering campaign, edging past Ludogorets 2-1 before losing 1-0 at Basel and 3-0 at home to Madrid.
For their crunch clash at the Bernabeu Rodgers made SEVEN changes – including leaving out his talisman Gerrard.
Spanish paper AS described Rodgers’ selection as a “crime against Liverpool’s history”.
The likes of Gerrard, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling were benched for the match.
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And their replacements were of nowhere near the same quality.
On his Bernabeu evening of misery, Gerrard later said: “That was the night, tucked away in the depths of a dugout at the Bernabeu, when my disappointment ran so deep, I almost made up my mind it was time for a change.
“If Brendan’s managing of my games meant that I would miss playing against Real, it seemed as if I had seen the end.
“How could I go on playing for Liverpool another year if these were the kind of empty nights that awaited me?
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Liverpool team from 2014
“My career would never be the same again.”
Simon Mignolet started between the sticks for the Reds that night, with Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure playing at centre-back in front of him.
Javi Manquillo and Alberto Moreno were the full-backs, with Lucas Leiva shielding the defence.
Emre Can and Joe Allen started either side of Leiva, with Gerrard and current skipper Jordan Henderson benched.
Lazar Markovic, a £20million transfer flop, was on the right flank, with Adam Lallana on the left and Fabio Borini down the middle.
The Reds were beaten 1-0 on the night courtesy of Karim Benzema’s 27th minute goal, and would go out at the group stage following underwhelming draws with Ludogorets in Bulgaria and Basel at Anfield.
Gerrard, meanwhile, penned a pre-contract agreement with LA Galaxy just two months later and left Liverpool at the end of the season.
After 39 appearances for the Galaxy he retired aged 36 in November 2016.
Gerrard retired aged 36 after a stint with LA GalaxyCredit: Associated Press More

PORTO and Inter Milan’s Champions League clash left fans stunned after a crazy wardrobe malfunction.A goalless draw at the Dragao on Tuesday allowed Inter to qualify for the quarter-finals thanks to their 1-0 victory at the San Siro in the first tie.

A moment of madness occurred during Porto’s Champions League clash with Inter MilanCredit: Twitter
Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries pantsed Porto ace GalenoCredit: Twitter
Porto ace Galeno immediately protested for a yellow cardCredit: Twitter
But a hilarious incident stole the headlines in the 49th minute during a challenge between Porto’s Galeno and the Nerazzurri’s Denzel Dumfries.
The two players went for the ball and at some point Dumfries pantsed the winger as he pulled his shorts down to his knees.
That exposed the Portuguese-Brazilian ace’s tighty whities in a moment of madness.
Galeno pulled his shorts up immediately after and signalled to the referee as he protested for a yellow card.
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Dumfries evaded a booking but Porto weren’t so lucky in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Pepe was sent off.
Fans were left laughing their socks off and took to social media immediately after the challenge.
One tweeted: “This is hilarious.”
Another commented: “Galeno don’t go on twitter tonight mate.”
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And that one wrote: “Galeno getting pantsed is the highlight of his performance.”
This comes amid speculation linking Dumfries with a move to United in the summer.
The Red Devils’ manager Erik ten Hag remains a “huge fan” of the versatile full-back.
Inter’s financial troubles could lead to a cut-price deal for the 26-year-old.
However, the Netherlands international still won’t come cheap as he may cost a fee in the region of £40-50million. More

FANS reckon they know why Pep Guardiola substituted Erling Haaland before he could score a double hat-trick. against RB LeipzigManchester City thrashed the German side 7-0 at the Etihad last night, progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals 8-1 on aggregate.
Pep Guardiola subbed Erling Haaland off after 63 minutesCredit: Getty
The Norwegian scored five times in just 57 minutes against RB LeipzigCredit: Getty
Haaland was in red-hot form, scoring five times during the rout.
When the Norwegian netted his fifth after just 57 minutes, an unprecedented double hat-trick appeared to be on the cards.
But Guardiola subbed off the 22-year-old just six minutes later, replacing him with Julian Alvarez.
No player has ever scored six times in a Champions League match.
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Haaland tied the record last night at five, going level with former Shakhtar Donetsk striker Luiz Adriano… and Lionel Messi.
Fans online outlandishly claimed after the match that Guardiola removed rampant Haaland in order to protect his old favourite’s record.
One jokingly mocked: “A proud Messi fan, he doesn’t hide it.”
A second cheekily added: “Pep is Lionel Messi’s biggest fan. The Haaland substitution confirms it.”
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Lionel Messi scored five times in a game against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Erling Haaland’s touch map against Leipzig
Just prior to the change, another had tweeted: “Pep Guardiola if you truly are a ride or die Messi fan you will sub off Haaland RIGHT NOW.”
Another joked: “Pep subbed Haaland to protect Messi’s record.”
Asked about denying Haaland a shot at the record after the game, Guardiola said: “If he would have achieved that at 22-years-old, he would be bored in his future!”
Messi netted five times in a round of 16 clash with Bayer Leverkusen in 2012, while Luiz Adriano repeated the feat against BATE Borisov in the 2015 group stage.
Chatting to BT Sport about his centre-forward, Guardiola added: “Five in 60 minutes. Incredible guy, huge talent. Power, mentality, he’s a serial winner. Really good.”
Guardiola, 52, was in a mischievous mood after the game.
He joked that he would always “feel like a failure” irrespective of whether he wins the Champions League again – because Julia Roberts once snubbed City during a trip to Manchester to watch United instead.
Fans joked that Messi will always be Guardiola’s favouriteCredit: AFP
Man City totally dominated the game More

FIVE-STAR Erling Haaland smashed records galore to fire Manchester City into the Champions League last eight.The Norwegian netted FIVE times in just 35 minutes to take his incredible season tally to 39 goals in 35 games.
Erling Haaland smashed several records by scoring five against RB LeipzigCredit: Getty

That total broke City’s all-time record set by Tommy Johnson 94-YEARS ago, and it’s still only March.
Hotshot Haaland hit a first-half hat-trick, his FIFTH treble of the campaign, while Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne also struck as City thrashed RB Leipzig 7-0.
He now has an astonishing nine goals in the Champions League and became the fastest player to score 30 goals in the competition.
Haaland smashed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s existing record of 34 games by achieving the scoring feat in a ridiculous 25 matches.
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By comparison, Wayne Rooney managed 30 goals in 85 games, while Champions League icons Samuel Eto’o and Kaka took 55 matches to reach that tally.
He is also the youngest player in Champions League history to hit the 30-goal milestone, beating Kylian Mbappe by 116 days.
But Haaland was not finished there, taking his tally to 33.
He said: “I was just shooting, not thinking. I’m a bit blurry so I don’t really remember the goals.
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“It’s a big night. Five goals to win 7-0 at home, I’m so happy.”
Haaland had just 30 touches but took eight shots and is clear where his super strength lies.
He added: “After scoring five goals I have to say scoring. A lot of it is just being quick in the mind.”
Haaland is just the third player in the competition’s history to score five goals in a single match after Lionel Messi in 2012 and Luiz Adriano in 2014.
While his five hat-tricks this season make him the first Prem player to do so since Harry Kane in 2016-17.
Incredibly, the Norwegian has now scored 1.9 per cent of all Manchester City’s Prem and Champions League goals.
But Haaland was denied the chance to add to his tally as he subbed him with almost half an hour left.
Haaland admitted: “I told him when I went off I’d love to score a double hat-trick but what could I do? I had to come off.”
Guardiola explained: “If he would have achieved that at 22 years-old, he would be bored in his future!”
Fans on social media could not stop talking about Haaland.
One fan wrote: “Haaland is literally a glitch in the matrix. Unreal 🔥”
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Another added: “Haaland is insane. Stop him, he is violating football standards.”
A third said: “The Haalinator!!”
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