How Real Madrid froze out City’s Haaland

Everything was good news for Real Madrid. They won comfortably, played with precision and style, Federico Valverde punished Manchester City whenever he had the chance, and the only thing missing was Vinícius Júnior applying the finishing touch from the penalty spot. Erling Haaland, meanwhile, was a complete non-factor.

The Norwegian striker did not arrive in peak condition after taking a knock that had already ruled him out of a couple of recent games, but he still made the starting lineup as the finisher City needed. The reality could not have been further from that idea. Pep Guardiola tried to see the glass as half full and praised his team’s overall play, stressing that only the final touch was missing – in other words, that Haaland never showed up.

“We got to the byline many times, including in the second half,” Guardiola said. “What we lacked was the final pass. They defended well, very solidly. When you get to the byline and you have four or five players in the box, it comes down to delivering a good ball. And we had those situations. If we score, we gain confidence. We were missing that final moment. We didn’t create chances that forced Courtois into making saves.”

Guardiola put the emphasis on the final pass, but also on the lack of finishing, which is, without question, Haaland’s main job. On that front, the Norwegian came away empty. He did not register a single shot – not on target, not off target, not blocked. Zero. And with the ball, he offered little else: he touched it just 10 times in 83 minutes. Omar Marmoush, who replaced him late on, touched it six times in 12 minutes. Once again, Madrid froze Haaland out.

It has happened to him before. Haaland has scored against Real Madrid – three goals in seven games – but so far with limited value. Last season he scored twice in Manchester in the first leg of the Champions League playoff round, but Madrid still came away with a 3-2 win and then sealed qualification in Spain with a 3-1 victory. This season, Haaland also scored at the Bernabéu when the two sides met in the league phase, helping City to a 2-1 win. City finished in the top eight and Madrid dropped into the playoff round, but that guarantees nothing. Now, all the odds point to Madrid reaching the quarterfinals and City heading out.

Rüdiger confirmed, Huijsen restored

Haaland’s games against Madrid have not been easy, and this is a matchup with special meaning for him. He knows he was once on the club’s radar, even though he chose to join City, and his contract includes a release clause designed primarily with Madrid in mind, though not exclusively. In his first four meetings with Madrid, he failed to score and came up against the defensive strength of the Spanish side, especially Antonio Rüdiger, who once again emerged with his reputation enhanced.

As soon as the German found his rhythm physically, it became clear once again that he is the team’s best defender, at least until Éder Militão returns and can challenge that status. Rüdiger was sharp on the ball, completing 37 of 41 passes, won two aerial duels and even had enough left in the tank to try his luck with a shot. His expected partner in central defense was Raúl Asencio, but in the end it was Dean Huijsen, fully restored for the Bernabéu.

On a difficult day, the Spain international rose to the occasion. He was excellent on the ball, completing 44 of 47 passes, won 100% of his tackles and recovered two balls for Madrid. Between them, they left Haaland out in the cold.

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