Immediately following Manchester City’s defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, Erling Haaland and Rodri did something that speaks volumes.
The first leg of the Champions League playoff match between Manchester City and Real Madrid took place at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night. Pep Guardiola’s team was there to welcome Madrid.
Erling Haaland made it possible for City to take the lead in the first half of the match, but Kylian Mbappe scored the equaliser in the second half of the match.
Following that, Haaland scored from 12 yards out to give City the lead once more; however, late goals scored by Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham sealed a dramatic victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, leaving them with a 3-2 victory.
Erling Haaland and Rodri’s actions following the devastating loss that Manchester City suffered at the hands of Real Madrid
According to a report from the Manchester Evening News, Haaland “turned to the tunnel and started walking.” A handshake was extended to Carlo Ancelotti, who was passing by, and he appeared displeased by something that Kylian Mbappe had said on his way out before him.
According to reports, the 24-year-old player then proceeded to head straight towards the dressing room, where he ignored everyone else in order to ensure that he was the first player to return.
As a contrast, Rodri was seen waiting to shake the hands of every player ‘in sympathy’ as they made their way back towards the changing room.
In the meantime, City’s Portuguese players were seen offering hope to goalkeeper Ederson, who had made a slight error in judgement in the final minute of stoppage time, which resulted in Bellingham scoring the game-winning goal.
The star player for City, John Stones, was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how to put it into words straight away, it’s so raw and frustrating for everyone.” Stones made this statement after the match.
“Up until such a late point in the game, we were in the game, but then two different things happened, and we ended up losing.” When you are a defender, it is extremely frustrating to come away with that result.
Additionally, he stated, “It is a feeling of anger and frustration.” Without a doubt, we need to improve the way that games are played. We were just told by the manager that we need to take responsibility for our actions on the pitch, and I believe that we do so for ourselves. When these unfortunate occurrences take place, we need to take action.
We had a fantastic opportunity to take a 2-1 lead to the Bernabeu today, and we took advantage of it. It is not finished. At this time, it is challenging for us to maintain a positive attitude. In accordance with what the manager has stated, we need to examine ourselves and accept responsibility.
This coming weekend, City will be back in action when they take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. After that, they will travel to Madrid with the goal of reversing their first leg loss in order to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive.
