Haaland’s double not enough as Monaco hold Manchester City

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Manchester City were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against AS Monaco in a pulsating Champions League encounter that had everything, goals, controversy, VAR drama, and missed chances.

Erling Haaland once again proved decisive for City, scoring twice with trademark finishing.

The Norwegian opened the scoring in the 15th minute, controlling a cross from Josko Gvardiol before firing into the roof of the net.

He doubled his tally just before half-time, rising highest to head home Phil Foden’s delivery, giving Pep Guardiola’s men a 2-1 advantage at the interval.

Monaco, however, showed remarkable resilience. Jordan Teze levelled in the 18th minute with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box.

But the night’s defining moment came in the dying stages. In the 86th minute, Eric Dier went down under a challenge inside City’s penalty area.

Initially waved away, the incident was later reviewed by VAR. Referee Jesus Manzano overturned his decision and awarded Monaco a spot-kick, which Dier coolly dispatched in the 90th minute to ensure a share of the spoils.

The match was littered with missed opportunities and near misses. Tijjani Reijnders rattled the crossbar, Bernardo Silva saw a goal-line clearance deny him, while Haaland narrowly missed a hat-trick.

On the opposite end, Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a string of vital saves, keeping out Maghnes Akliouche and Folarin Balogun.

Tensions ran high throughout, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and Savinho all booked for dissent and rough challenges, while Monaco’s Krepin Diatta also saw yellow.

For Guardiola, it was a night of frustration as City dominated possession but failed to convert their superiority into victory.