Erling Haaland warned his Manchester City teammates should be as “p----- off” as he was by the nature of the team’s Champions League draw with Monaco on Wednesday.
City were 2–1 up at the break and should have been out of sight thanks to a performance which yielded 71% possession and 18 shots on goal, but their profligacy was punished by a 90th-minute penalty from former Tottenham Hotspur man Eric Dier.
The manner of City’s drop-off in the second half was particularly concerning for Haaland, whose total of 17 touches across the game was the lowest of any outfield player to feature for the full 90 minutes, and he let his frustrations show after the final whistle.
“I don’t think we played good enough,” he told TNT Sports. “We don’t deserve to win. We need more energy. We needed to do more of what we did in the first half. We dominated much more and then in the second half they took the lead much more. It’s not good enough.”
In a later interview with BBC’s Match of the Day, a furious Haaland added: “I’m p----- off. I think everyone should be. It’s not good enough.
“I don’t care [about getting more touches], I’m just doing my job. Right now I don’t think too much of that. Now I’m just, as I said, p----- off.”
Bernardo Silva Teases Eric Dier Over Penalty Controversy
Monaco had a late VAR intervention to thank for their point. Midfielder Nico González’s boot was high as he attempted a clearance inside the City penalty area and, although he got the ball first, his leg appeared to make contact with Dier’s stooping head.
“I didn’t see [the penalty],” Haaland argued. “I don’t know, if you kick someone in the face I guess it’s a penalty.”
City teammate Bernardo Silva also insisted he did not see the incident but was in slightly higher spirits that Haaland.
“I would have to watch it,” Silva said, before turning to see Dier himself walking towards his interview. The pair shared a smile before the Portugal international opted to poke fun at the Monaco defender. “He’s known for diving!” Silva laughed.
Happy to share in the joke, Dier confessed the decision was by no means a clear-cut penalty but insisted Nico’s leg had made contact with his head, giving him the opportunity to tie things up from 12 yards.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Erling Haaland Lays Into Man City With Explicit Review of Monaco Draw.
