Leipzig defender: 'Haaland devoured us alive'
"I think Leipzig has been eaten alive," Henrichs said after the loss at Eithad. "I've never lost 0-7 in my career. It's been a bitter evening for us."
Yesterday, Man City dominated when controlling the ball 67%, finishing 23 times with 16 shots on target - compared to 4 and 1 of the visitors. Haaland shined when he scored five goals and destroyed a series of Champions League records, while Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan scored the other two to help Man City into the quarter-finals with a combined score of 8-1.
Haaland's brilliant performance helped Man City equalize their biggest victory in the Champions League, with the victory over Schalke also in the second leg of the 1/8 round with a score of 7-0 at Etihad Stadium in March 2019. The defeats of Leipzig and Schalke against Man City are also the heaviest defeats of the German representative in the history of the Champions League.
Henrichs admits it is difficult to defend against Haaland, who possesses tremendous physical strength and shows great influence. "The way he played today says a lot about Haaland's quality," the 26-year-old German defender added of the opponent.
In front of Man City, Leipzig is also at a disadvantage with the decisions of VAR. The first controversial situation came in the 22nd minute, when Slavko Vincic went out of the touchline to review the situation where Rodri hit defender Henrichs' arm in the penalty area. Even though Henrichs was with his back to the opponent and at a close distance, the referee still gave Man City. On the 11m mark, Haaland shot to the lower right corner, clearing the deadlock and creating a turning point for the second leg.
After that, Vincic didn't even blow Ederson in the situation when the Brazilian goalkeeper went out of the box to break the ball and collide with Konrad Laimer. The referee did not consult VAR and even showed Timo Werner a yellow card for his reaction error.
When asked about these situations, Henrichs replied: "We can't talk about VAR, we need to talk about our own performance."
Similarly, coach Marco Rose accepted responsibility, refused to take the referee's decisions to justify the defeat and acknowledged that Man City won. According to the German coach, Man City was overwhelming, proactive, alert, more ready and Lepzig should have handled the situation better. "Overall, this is a bitter outcome," he said.
Meanwhile, midfielder Emil Forsberg said: "Man City play well and are a great club. To be honest, we didn't have a chance. It's heartbreaking. Leipzig can't compete and I don't want to give it away. any excuses".
Knocked out of the Champions League with a total score of 1-8, Leipzig will focus on two domestic leagues for the rest of the season. They are third in the Bundesliga, seven points behind Bayern, and will meet Dortmund in the quarterfinals of the German Cup on April 5.
