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Haaland fails because of the “Berlin Wall”
Erling Haaland is virtually invisible in a crazy Champions League quarter-final. Antonio Rüdiger played a big part in this. The reactions in the international press were correspondingly euphoric.
It was a wild back and forth that took place on Tuesday evening at the Santiago Bernabéu. In the Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Manchester City, Bernardo Silva scored 1-0 after just two minutes. Then Real Madrid turned the game around within two minutes before City turned the tables again. The game ended in a draw thanks to a volley from Fede Valverde. But one player was completely lost.
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Erling Haaland, usually always good for a goal and almost always present due to his massive body, was not a factor at all. His horror record in numbers: 20 ball contacts, four passes and a single shot that didn’t go on goal.
The slap in the face that he accidentally received from the French referee François Letexier after the half-time whistle fit into the picture.
German central defender Antonio Rüdiger played a major role in the former BVB star’s poor performance. Before the game, he himself had warned about the Norwegian: “Haaland is one of the strongest players in the world.” It is “not easy to defend this player because his game also depends on the passes of his teammates.”
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He would therefore not always be controllable, especially when playing together with Kevin De Bruyne. It suited Rüdiger that the Belgian was out at short notice before the duel. He had to vomit in the dressing room shortly before the game and was therefore removed from the starting line-up by his coach Pep Guardiola.
Rüdiger receives a lot of praise in the international press
Rüdiger successfully reported his opponent. He didn’t leave his side and often immediately tipped the ball off his foot when Stefan Ortega played a long ball to his striker.
The assessment in the international press was accordingly. The English football portal Goal headlined “Rüdiger monsters Haaland”, in Spain Marca gave him the nickname “Berlin Wall” and the French daily L’Équipe described Haaland as the “flop of the game”.
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The two players will see each other again in just a week when the second leg takes place. Both teams want to move into the semi-finals at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday (from 9 p.m. in the LIVETICKER). A possible opponent there would be FC Bayern Munich.