On Tuesday night, the UEFA Champions League playoff match saw the defending champions, Madrid, face off against City at the Etihad Stadium. ..Continue Reading
Despite Carlo Ancelotti’s team missing several good opportunities to take the lead, City went ahead with Haaland’s goal in the 19th minute.
The Norwegian striker completed a well-executed team move involving Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol.
At first glance, Haaland appeared to be offside, but after an extensive VAR review, the goal was confirmed.
However, some fans remained unconvinced by the decision.
Reacting on social media, one fan said: “REAL MADRID ROBBED!!! Explain to me how this Erling Haaland goal was counted! You even don’t need machines here to draw line for you to know he was clearly offside!”
Another tweeted: “Haaland clearly off. How is that a goal? VAR City strikes again.”
A third fan added: “Haaland was ahead of the ball.”
But, a replay from UEFA later showed that Haaland was in fact behind the ball, meaning he was in an onside position.
Spanish news outlet MARCA explained on social media: “There is the action that led to City’s goal. What is offside is the handball and with that you cannot legally finish. Therefore, it is a legal position.”
Reacting to City’s goal, former Newcastle star Chris Waddle said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Absolutely class. Jack Grealish just dinks it into Josko Gvardiol and he chests it down to Erling Haaland for the finish. What a wonderful move.”
Madrid pressed for an equalizer before the break, with Kylian Mbappe missing a significant opportunity by curling a shot high and wide in the final moments.
As the half-time whistle blew, signaled by referee Clement Turpin, Los Blancos found themselves trailing 1-0. The second leg of the match is scheduled to take place next week at the Bernabeu.
