Haaland Slammed as 'Useless' for No-Show in UCL Match against Man City

Erling Haaland, the Norwegian striker, had a limited impact during Manchester City's thrilling 3-3 draw against Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu. He struggled to break free from the tight marking of Antonio Rudiger and was closely watched by Aurelien Tchouameni whenever he attempted to create space.

Haaland's performance was reflected in his statistics for the match. With just 20 touches, seven possessions lost, only one shot on target, and no completed dribbles, his contribution was subpar on the night, leaving much to be desired.

Rafael van der Vaart, former Real Madrid midfielder, expressed his disappointment with Erling Haaland's performance during the match and shared his frustration on Ziggo Sport. Van der Vaart described Haaland as "very bad" and criticized his effectiveness when he fails to score, stating that he finds the Norwegian striker to be average on the ball.

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In an interesting comparison, Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin had more touches (26) in the first half than Haaland (13). Furthermore, Haaland has played three Champions League games against Real Madrid without scoring, which is the highest number of matches in which he has failed to score against any team in the competition throughout his career.

Haaland will have an opportunity to silence his critics in the decisive second leg of the quarter-final when Real Madrid visit the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday. Before that, he is expected to feature in a Premier League match against Luton Town on Saturday.

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