In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Manchester City, Erling Haaland was unable to make an impact for the Sky Blues. Despite scoring 51 goals this season, including 12 in the Champions League with a hat-trick against RB Leipzig, Haaland struggled to find the back of the net at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti’s tactical plan effectively contained Erling Haaland in the first leg, preventing the striker from linking up with Manchester City’s attacking players such as Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan or Kevin De Bruyne. Although Haaland had a couple of chances early on, which were denied by Thibaut Courtois, he failed to make an impact for the remainder of the game.
Despite playing the full 90 minutes at the Bernabeu, Erling Haaland was unable to escape the defensive cage created by Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Toni Kroos, and the overall defensive structure. Haaland had the fewest touches of any player, tying with goalkeepers Courtois and Ederson.
He managed two shots on target, with a combined xG of 0.30, and completed nine out of 12 attempted passes for a 75 percent success rate. However, he lost possession five times, did not make any key passes, and did not register any dribbles. Haaland also did not commit any fouls, but was fouled twice, both times by Rudiger.
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