Kevin De Bruyne insisted Erling Haaland “will not be happy” despite firing Manchester City past Bayern Munich into Champions League semi-finals.
- Haaland missed from the spot
- He made amends by scoring the opener
- Manchester City head into last four
WHAT HAPPENED? The Norwegian striker had a rare miss from 12 yards but soon made amends for his earlier error by finishing off a quick counter-attacking move in the 57th minute to put the tie to bed. Although Bayern did pull one back late into the second half through Joshua Kimmich it was too little too late to thwart City from sealing a semi-final berth courtesy of a 4-1 aggregate score. However, De Bruyne thinks Haaland will still be disgruntled with his own performance after an uncharacterized miss from the spot.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: City will face Real Madrid in the round of 16, giving them the chance to exact revenge on the Spanish team after they defeated them in dramatic fashion at the same stage last year. De Bruyne said he is not seeking retribution and that he has moved past his loss from the previous year. “I am not that individual. What occurred last year actually did. The two games were incredibly close until the final five minutes, but we played really well overall (of the tie). You must accept it on the chin and continue. It did not mean that we did not play well for the majority of the two games; it just happened. Football is a game of details, so it happens and you move on,” he stated.
IN THREE PHOTOS:Getty ImagesGettyGetty Images
WHAT NEXT? Haaland has been in scintillating form this season having scored 48 goals in 41 matches across all competitions. The forward will be looking to continue his scoring form at the business end of the season with Man City fighting for silverware on three fronts. His next task will be to fire the Blues to the FA Cup final by ensuring a victory against Sheffield United on Saturday.