Erling Haaland voiced his frustration following Manchester City‘s lackluster display against Monaco in their second UEFA Champions League fixture of the season.
Despite taking a commanding two-goal lead, the English champions were pegged back to a 2-2 draw on French soil.
Haaland netted a brace in the first half to give City the advantage, but Monaco staged a resilient comeback to salvage a point.
The Norwegian forward was candid in his critique after City missed out on securing a fifth straight away victory in the Champions League.
Haaland’s candid remarks
Having scored both goals for City, Haaland declined to justify the draw with excuses, instead acknowledging that the team’s performance was subpar.
“Naturally, it’s disappointing; we didn’t come away with a win,” Haaland stated during his post-match interview, as reported by Daily Mail. “In the second half, we made unnecessary mistakes and didn’t play up to our standards. We simply didn’t earn the victory.”
“We need to bring more intensity. We must press harder, like we did in the opening 45 minutes. We controlled the game much better early on, but they gained momentum later, and that’s unacceptable.”
The tension escalated late in the match when Monaco was awarded a penalty, which Dier calmly converted by deceiving goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
This decision, confirmed after referee Jesus Gil Manzano reviewed the VAR footage, triggered a heated confrontation involving players and coaching staff.
“I haven’t watched the incident again. If someone gets kicked in the face, it’s probably a penalty. But I’m not certain since I didn’t see it clearly,” Haaland commented.
“Every Champions League fixture is challenging,” he added. “Reflecting on last season, we were eliminated early. So, every match is a battle, and very few teams manage to win their opening two games. That’s the reality.”