Mansion Sports – Erling Haaland could not hide his frustration after Manchester City failed to secure victory against AS Monaco in their Champions League clash. 

Playing at the Stade Louis II, the Citizens were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw, despite taking the lead twice through the Norwegian striker. 

Monaco managed to equalize with a spectacular strike from Jordan Teze and a late penalty converted by former Tottenham defender Eric Dier.

Haaland Criticizes City’s Lack of Ruthlessness in the Second Half

Haaland expressed his anger at what he described as City’s failure to finish the game despite dominating large portions of the match. 

He believed the team’s performance dipped significantly after halftime, allowing Monaco to stage a comeback.

“Of course, I am not happy. We didn’t win. In the second half, we did unnecessary things and did not play well enough, so we did not deserve the victory. We needed more energy; we had to press them like we did in the first half. But the second half was different—they were better, and that was not good enough,” Haaland told TNT Sports.

Penalty Controversy, But Haaland Accepts the Decision

The referee’s decision to award Monaco a penalty in the closing stages sparked outrage among City players and staff. 

Two members of Guardiola’s coaching staff were even shown red cards for vehement protests. The spot-kick was given after Nico Gonzalez was judged to have committed a dangerous foul on Dier.

Interestingly, Haaland did not join the chorus of complaints. “I didn’t see the replay, but if you kick someone in the face, I think it is a penalty,” he admitted.

City Repeat Familiar Mistakes from Last Season

City’s inability to protect a lead once again highlighted a weakness that haunted them in last year’s Champions League campaign. 

At that time, they squandered a three-goal advantage against Feyenoord, fell 1-4 to Sporting CP after initially leading, and lost 2-4 to PSG despite going two goals up.

Those costly results left them fighting for survival in the final group-stage match, only to be eliminated by Real Madrid in the play-offs with a 6-3 aggregate defeat.

Now, City sit eighth in the league phase table with four points, while only six clubs have secured back-to-back wins in their opening two fixtures. The competition is shaping up to be fiercely contested. Pep Guardiola hopes his side can learn quickly from these lapses ahead of their away trip to Villarreal on October 21.

Focus Shifts Back to the Premier League

Before returning to European competition, City will turn their attention to the Premier League, where they continue their pursuit of leaders Liverpool. Following their emphatic 5-1 victory over Burnley, City have closed the gap to five points.

Their next challenge comes against Brentford, who are riding high after a morale-boosting win over Manchester United. 

City will need consistency and resilience if they are to remain in contention for both domestic and European glory.