Champions League: Praises for Rudiger after masterclass, knocks for Haaland
Haaland's 21 touches was the fewest of any player who started the match
Football star Erling Haaland managed just 21 touches of the ball as Manchester City drew at Real Madrid.
The 51-goal striker was largely kept quiet by Antonio Rudiger in the thrilling 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
Haaland did manage two early efforts on goal that were both kept out by Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
But after that he barely touched it, as Rudiger out-battled him in the Spanish capital.
Haaland's 21 touches was the fewest of any player who started the match.
And Spanish publication Marca savaged Haaland with a 3/10 match rating, which is brave considering there is still the second leg left to play.
Striker sensation Haaland has another entire 90 minutes to find the back of the net next week, or potentially more if the semi-final goes to extra-time.
And surely the Norwegian superstar can't go that long without scoring a goal?
Marca meanwhile gave ex-Chelsea man Rudiger a 10/10 match rating for successfully managing to keep Haaland quiet on Tuesday night.
The German centre-back did what not many defenders have done this season in keeping Haaland relatively ineffective.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for his defender after the game.
The Italian said: “Toni Rüdiger… excellent. Top performance. He was very good, he’s a player with great experience, quality”.
“It wasn't easy but he played very well. I’m so happy with Toni”.
Fans on Twitter were also left lauding Rudiger for his performance.
One wrote: "I didn’t even see Haaland thank you Rudiger for this masterclass."
Another added: "Rudiger has been putting in a masterclass."
And a third said: "Rudiger’s masterclass to shut down Haaland."
However, Kevin De Bruyne stepped up to the plate and fired in a sumptuous effort from 20 yards to salvage a draw for City.
Vinicius Jr had initially given Real Madrid the lead with an unstoppable effort from outside the area on 36 minutes.
But De Bruyne levelled things up midway through the second-half with a stunner of his own.
It leaves the tie perfectly in the balance going into the return leg next Wednesday... making it the perfect opportunity for Haaland to respond.
