Manchester City striker Erling Haaland suffered a quiet night at the Bernabeu as Real Madrid played out a thrilling stalemate with the European champions
Nothing separates Manchester City and Real Madrid as they head towards next week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Initially, it seemed as though the Blues were in for a brilliant night as Bernardo Silva’s clever free-kick opened the scoring just two minutes into proceedings. However, just over ten minutes later momentum had shifted entirely thanks to two fortuitous strikes from Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo.
CityDespite a thrilling evening of goals galore, the Spanish media chose to focus on one of those who did not find the scoresheet – Erling Haaland. MEN Sport has rounded up the reaction from Madrid’s camp below. rallied after the interval and they were back in front thanks to two fabulous efforts in five minutes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol. Ultimately, they would be denied a slender advantage going into the second leg as Federico Valverde’s spectacular volley ensured the game ended 3-3.
Journalist Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa hailed Antonio Rudiger as the ‘Don’ thanks to his performance against the Norwegian talisman. He continued: “Like a year ago, he [Rudiger] sucked him [Haaland] dry again.
“Rudiger did not cost a euro and is one of the best signings that Real Madrid has made in recent years. Rudiger is not just a defender, he is the soul of the team, the one who celebrates a clearance as well as a goal, the first to defend his teammates in a brawl, the one who hits them when they score. The team leader.”
Reporter Pepe Gil-Vernet was adamant at full-time that Rudiger has Haaland’s number and could be the difference-maker across both legs in the Champions League. “On Tuesday at the Bernabeu, all eyes were on the battle between the Citizen striker and the Madrid defender and once again the local player clearly prevailed,” he wrote.
“At the moment, in three games (two of them with Rudiger as a dance partner), Haaland does not know what it is to score a goal against Madrid. The City tank was barely able to enter the game (he only made 9 passes in 90 minutes) and only made one shot from inside the [Andriy] Lunin area.”
AS’ Pablo Montano was even more damning with his criticism of the forward describing him as a ‘ghost’ before insisting Haaland ‘choked’ on the big stage. “Erling Haaland’s problem is not just that he does not score against Los Blancos, but that he goes completely unnoticed,” he explained.
“This season he has six goals (and one assist) in eight games in the top continental competition, but The Cyborg is not as scary as before. Especially Phil Foden, but also Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and even Rodri are proving to be more decisive than him in the offensive aspect.”
