Erling Haaland apologised to Manchester City supporters after his side’s surprise defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Norwegian striker returned to his homeland with Pep Guardiola’s team the favourites to take all three points but the Premier League giants were torn open twice in three minutes midway through the first half and eventually fell to a 3-1 loss in the Arctic Circle.
The Cityzens are now seventh in the league phase table and face a battle to secure a top-eight finish.
City were understandably favourites for their clash with Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday evening, with many fans expecting the likes of Haaland, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki to have too much quality in the final third.
However, the visitors were shellshocked during the first 45 minutes as their weakened defence was carved open twice in quick succession, allowing Kasper Hogh to strike twice.
Jens Petter Hauge made it 3-0 before the hour mark but Cherki’s deflected effort reduced the deficit just moments later.
However, City star Rodri was sent off for two yellow cards soon after and any hopes of a dramatic comeback seemed to die with the Spaniard’s dismissal.
It’s a second defeat in a row for City after Saturday’s loss in the Manchester derby and they now face a massive fight to both reduce the deficit to leaders Arsenal in the Premier League title race and secure a top-eight finish in the Champions League to avoid playing another set of knockout fixtures in an already congested season.
Haaland: ‘In the end it’s embarrassing’
Haaland pulled no punches in his assessment of the performance, labelling it “embarrassing” while still giving full credit to the home side for their efforts.
The striker told TNT Sports: “I don’t have the answers.
“I take full responsibility of not being able to score the goals I should do.
“Also, I just apologize to everyone; every single Man City supporter and every single supporter that traveled today, because in the end it’s embarrassing.
“Bodo they played some incredible football and in the end it’s deserved.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to say because I don’t have the answers, and what I can say is sorry.”
Manager Guardiola also gave his thoughts on the loss, insisting his team can’t catch a break right now.
He added: “Today was an incredible opportunity for us, but everything is going wrong, going against us in many details.
“That’s a fact and we have to try to change it. The players are there and we tried.
“I don’t have any doubt that in this competition, nothing is for granted, that’s for sure.
“United were better than us [Saturday]. Today it was momentum that punished us.”
Rodri dismissal ‘a little bit soft’
City had just worked their way back into the contest after Cherki’s strike when Rodri picked up two yellow cards in as many minutes, the second coming for pulling back Ole Didrik Blomberg and preventing a counter-attack.
The blow proved to be too devastating for the visitors to recover from, with the scoreline finishing at 3-1, handing Bodo their first ever victory over an English side.
The Spanish midfielder is still working his way back to his best after returning from a serious knee injury and Guardiola was reticent to criticise the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner too much, saying: “It was a difficult situation.
“We lost the ball. We made a transition, but they are fast and sometimes you react.
“It’s a little bit soft, the second one, but it is what it is.”
Read more: Rooney Bats Away Comparison With Arsenal And Man Utd
Weakened City facing defining fixture list
City had enjoyed a 13-match unbeaten streak before being taken apart in the local derby by Manchester United and their losing run stands at two games after Tuesday night.
Guardiola hasn’t been helped with a load of injuries, meaning the former Barcelona boss had to field an unfamiliar back four of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Abdukodir Khusanov, Max Alleyne and Nico O’Reilly.
Ruben Dias isn’t expected back from a hamstring issue for at least another month, while Josko Gvardiol could end up missing most of the remainder of the campaign with an ankle blow.
John Stones could return later this month, but the England international’s recent fitness record is patchy.
City do have a good opportunity to end their losing streak on Saturday when they host bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, but they then have a crucial fixture with Galatasaray where they must win to give themselves the best chance of reaching the Champions League knockout stages automatically.
After that, they visit Tottenham, host Newcastle in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final and travel to Liverpool.
Funny How New Tax Law Is Making Nigerians Play Safe
