The Norwegian star scored a brilliant brace, but his efforts were undone by a chaotic late penalty decision and a fiery touchline meltdown.
Erling Haaland delivered a stunning individual performance, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a night of high drama and frustration for Manchester City, as a 90th-minute penalty from former Tottenham defender Eric Dier secured a 2-2 draw for Monaco on Tuesday. After the final whistle, a furious Haaland did not mince words, slamming his team’s performance as “not good enough.”
The Premier League giants seemed to be in control early, with their goal-scoring phenom breaking the deadlock within 15 minutes. Haaland expertly latched onto a lofted pass from Josko Gvardiol and deftly chipped the ball over the onrushing Monaco goalkeeper, Philipp Köhn, in a moment of pure brilliance.
However, City’s lead was shockingly short-lived. Just three minutes later, Monaco’s Jordan Teze unleashed a rocket from the edge of the box that flew past a stranded Gianluigi Donnarumma, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Undeterred, City pushed forward and reclaimed the lead right before halftime, with Haaland once again the hero, powerfully heading home a cross from Nico O’Reilly.
The second half was dominated by City, but the match descended into chaos as the clock ticked into the 90th minute. A clash in the box between City substitute Nico Gonzalez and Eric Dier led to furious penalty appeals from Monaco. Referee Jesús Gil Manzano initially waved play on, but the decision was thrown into doubt after a VAR review.
Pandemonium erupted on the touchline as the official went to the monitor. City’s staff, including goalkeeper Donnarumma who had sprinted over to plead his case, were convinced it was not a foul. In the heated exchanges that followed, Manzano brandished two red cards to members of City’s backroom staff for their vehement protests before ultimately reversing his decision and pointing to the spot.
The responsibility fell to the cool-headed Dier, who calmly sent Donnarumma the wrong way and buried the penalty, breaking City’s hearts and capping a night of high drama on the French Riviera.
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