Maybe Manchester City’s hopes of reaching the 2024-25 Champions League’s round of 16 were not over within five minutes, after Kylian Mbappe’s early goal, or even eight, after John Stones’ game-ending early injury, but were actually over before last night’s second leg started.
When news filtered through that Erling Haaland would not be in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, City’s task for the evening suddenly seemed even more monumental than it already was given the 3-2 first-leg deficit.
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It turns out that during City’s bad run, which now spans four months, Haaland’s presence has been taken for granted.
Look, the Norwegian striker’s absence was not the reason
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