Erling Haaland continued his remarkable scoring form with a first-half brace, but it was not enough to secure victory for Manchester City, as a late Monaco penalty secured a 2-2 draw on Wednesday, Softfootball reports. Haaland, who scored a brace for the Cityzens against Burnley last weekend, did the same for the visitors but failed to replicate the expected outcome.
The result lifts City to eighth in the table, while Monaco earned their first point of the tournament, placing them 30th.
Softfootball earlier reported that Rodri was deemed fit to start in the Champions League game against Monaco, started as Pep Guardiola’s side got a boost and establish control in midfield.
The direct runs of Jeremy Doku and Tijani Reijnders consistently troubled Monaco’s defence, creating the opening for Haaland to break the deadlock with a simple dinked finish. The lead was short-lived, however, as Jordan Teze restored parity just four minutes later with a stunning long-range strike.
City continued to press, and Haaland nearly added a second just before halftime, only to fire into the side netting. He made no mistake moments later, however, powerfully heading home in the 44th minute to reclaim the lead for the visitors.
Despite their dominance, City could not see out the win. In the dying moments of the match, VAR intervened, adjudging that Nico O’Reilly had fouled Eric Dier in the penalty area. Dier stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick, snatching a dramatic point for the home side.
The draw felt like a loss for a frustrated City squad.
In the post-match interview, revealed on the City’s official X handle, Pep Guardiola reflected on the team’s disappointment and said:
The team was really good. I didn’t see the stats, but I think we were much better than them. Always we try to play to create more chances and concede fewer, sometimes you win sometimes it’s not possible.
City’s stuttering steps in the 2025/26 season continue this weekend when they face Brentford at the G-Tech Stadium.
