Erling Haaland reveals how Kylian Mbappe gave Manchester City a ‘psychological boost’ ahead of Real Madrid win | OneFootball

The absence of Kylian Mbappe from Real Madrid’s starting line-up on Wednesday night gave Manchester City’s squad a ‘psychological boost’, Erling Haaland has revealed.

City travelled to Spain with a point to prove after defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, and stakes could hardly have been higher as they walked into a hostile Bernabeu. Pep Guardiola’s side knew they needed a strong response, and their growing resilience on the European stage was immediately tested by a Madrid side desperate to revive their own fortunes.

Real Madrid pressed aggressively, with Matheus Nunes’ foul on Vinicius Jr inside the opening two minutes initially bringing a penalty, only for VAR to downgrade the incident to a free-kick on the edge of the area. It was a chaotic opening that demanded composure from City, who gradually tightened their grip on possession and tempo.

But they were still caught by a Madrid counterpunch. Rodrygo capitalised on Jude Bellingham’s sweeping diagonal ball to fire the hosts into the lead – his first goal since March. The advantage lasted just seven minutes as Nico O’Reilly reacted sharply inside the box to turn home after Thibaut Courtois failed to fully clear Josko Gvardiol’s header.

Manchester City then seized control completely, turning the scoreline around moments before half-time when Erling Haaland was hauled down by Antonio Rudiger, converting the resulting penalty with characteristic ease.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the 1-2 victory at the Bernabeu, Haaland was quizzed on the notably absence of Kylian Mbappe from Real Madrid’s action despite being named on the bench by Xabi Alonso.

“We expected him to play, I thought I was going to play against Kylian [Mbappe],” Haaland admitted.

The Norway international continued, “Of course, when a player as Kylian doesn’t play – you’re not happy because you want to play against the best – but it gives you a bit of a psychological boost.”

Haaland found himself engaged in a hugely physical battle with Real Madrid’s central defenders Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger throughout the 90 minutes, on which he said, “After one minute, Asencio was starting to push me and try beef with me a lot.

“It’s something I like! I don’t mind it! Rudiger as well, we’ve been having some great battles and today he wanted a bit too much; he pulled me, for me a clear penalty!”

With the victory secured, City now head into the final stretch of the league phase with renewed confidence and a sense of momentum that seemed to have wavered only weeks earlier.

Pep Guardiola could rotate for the upcoming domestic fixtures, but the way his side absorbed pressure, adapted mid-game, and asserted control in Madrid will be viewed internally as a major step forward.

The win puts Guardiola’s team firmly back on track in the Champions League, and with qualification momentum restored, attention now shifts to how far this performance can propel them through the knockout stages – which are now firmly in sight.