"94 minutes of absolute nothing", "Was out there doing cardio" - Fans slam Manchester City star after 3-3 draw against Real Madrid
Fans have hit out at Erling Haaland after a quiet night for the Manchester City superstar in a 3-3 draw against Real Madrid.
City came away with a draw from the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinals tonight (April 9). Pep Guardiola's men were arguably the better side but failed to take a victory back to the Etihad.
Haaland was somewhat of a bystander during the enthralling draw between the two European titans. He only managed one shot, and one key pass, and won four of eight ground duels.
The Manchester City frontman had Bernardo Silva (2'), Phil Foden (66'), and Josko Gvardiol (71') to thank for producing the goods. All three goals were from outside the box with the prolific centre-forward perhaps focusing on getting in the right place in the box.
Real Madrid hit back through Ruben Dias (12', OG), Rodrygo (14'), and Federico Valverde (79'). Carlo Ancelotti's defense had no issues dealing with Haaland, but, it was Foden and Silva, who gave them problems.
Haaland has been on the receiving end of criticism as of late. He perhaps hasn't reached the heights of his record-breaking debut season with Manchester City.
Fans have let him know that his performance tonight wasn't up to scratch and one fan felt he was busy working on his fitness:
"Haaland was out there doing cardio."
Another fan called it 'the worst performance ever from a striker':
"Haaland I’m sorry but this is the worst performance I’ve ever seen from a striker 94 minutes of absolute nothing."
Here's how other fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Haaland's display:
"Haaland continues to ghost in big games," one fan pointed out.
"Haaland is such a small game player," another fan argued.
"Where is Haaland? Did he play?" one fan joked.
"People will say Haaland deserve Ballon d'Or over Messi. This same Haaland? lol," another fan highlighted.
"Can't remember the last time Haaland had a good game," one fan wrote.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland looks set to be up against Real Madrid's Eder Militao in the second leg
Real Madrid were handed a massive setback just 39 seconds into the first leg. Aurelien Tchouameni was handed a yellow card meaning he'll be suspended for the second leg against Manchester City at the Etihad.
The French midfielder played as a makeshift centre-back and he's performed well in the role. He won't be able to do so in Manchester next week although Ancelotti appears to have found his replacement.
Ancelotti didn't seem fazed by Tchouameni's absence when speaking to the media post-match (via Football Espana):
"Tchouameni’s suspension? It doesn’t worry me. We have Militao."
Eder Militao has just recovered from an ACL injury and has just one minute of action under his belt since the opening game of the season. He was a regular starting centre-back until his long-term injury suffered last August.
The Brazil international may now make his first Champions League appearance this season at the Etihad. He'll likely be tasked with keeping Haaland at bay alongside Antonio Rudiger who impressed for Real Madrid tonight.