Benjamin Henrichs, a defender for RB Leipzig, claimed that Manchester City's 7-0 victory at home on Tuesday to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals "ate up" his team.
Haaland led City to an 8-1 aggregate victory over the German visitors while scoring five goals, including a hat-trick in the first half.
Henrichs struggled to explain how his team, who entered the game tied after the first leg, could fall so far behind.
He remarked, "I think we were gobbled up out there. In my career, I've never suffered a 7-0 loss. This evening has been absolutely horribly bitter for us".
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Haaland, who transferred from Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City last season, reportedly dominated Leipzig with his physicality, according to Henrichs.
He plays with extreme physicality. He contributes so much to the game and is challenging to defend.
His performance today speaks volumes about his calibre.
When questioned about a disputed penalty the German defender gave up in the first half following a VAR review, Henrichs responded, "We can't speak about VAR, we need to talk about our own performance."
Leipzig's manager Marco Rose, who worked with Haaland at Red Bull Salzburg and Dortmund, claimed to be aware of the danger the Norwegian posed.
"I am familiar with Erling and am aware of his abilities. Erling wants to score when he sees the goal".
The 22-year-old Haaland has scored 39 goals in 36 games for City, including ten goals in six Champions League outings.
With a 7-0 victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday, Erling Haaland tied a Champions League record with a five-goal performance to help Manchester City advance to the quarterfinals.
Along the way, Haaland set a new club mark for goals in a season with 39 as Pep Guardiola's team advanced to the round of eight for the sixth straight year with an 8-1 overall win.
Although Abu Dhabi-owned City has yet to win the Champions League, they have never possessed a striker of Haaland's calibre who may make the difference in the championship round.
At age 22, he has already scored 33 goals in 25 games in the top club tournament in Europe.