♦ French newspaper questioned Haaland’s ability in ‘very high level matches’
♦ Eduardo Camavinga was the game’s best player with Bellingham struggling
♦ Have Liverpool been mentally torpedoed by Man United? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland were savaged by L’Equipe for their performances in the Champions League thriller between Real Madrid and Manchester City – with both scoring just 3/10.
The French newspaper said England star Bellingham put in ‘his worst match since arriving at Real’ as the midfielder ‘never weighed in on the game’.
City striker Haaland, meanwhile, ‘confirmed his immense difficulties in very high level matches’ and was ‘extinguished’ by Real defender Antonio Rudiger.
According to L’Equipe’s scathing ratings, the Norwegian ‘is not progressing enough in the way he connects to City’s game’ as he was judged ‘flop of the match’.
Fortunately, plenty of others performed brilliantly at the Bernabeu as the much-anticipated quarter-final served up six goals, evenly shared.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (left) and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham (right) were rated just 3/10 by L’Equipe for their displays in Tuesday night’s Champions League thriller
Haaland was ‘extinguished’ by Antonio Rudiger, the paper said, during a quiet performance
England star Bellingham also struggled to make the impact on the game he would’ve liked
French newspaper L’Equipe gave Haaland and Bellingham just 3/10 for their performances, with a number of others not faring too much better
Bernardo Silva’s crafty free-kick gave City a second-minute lead, only for a Ruben Dias own goal and Rodrygo’s finish to put Real ahead by the 14th-minute.
Pep Guardiola’s reigning European champions flipped the match around after the break, with Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol scoring eye-catching goals to put them 3-2 ahead.
But Federico Valverde’s own well-taken finish ensured the two clubs return to the Etihad for next week’s second leg all-square.
City players Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji were given just 4/10 by L’Equipe, while John Stones, Stefan Ortega and Mateo Kovacic got 5/10.
Foden was the English side’s best player with 7/10, his goal described as ‘truly beautiful’ as he ‘made a difference’ in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.
L’Equipe judged Real’s Eduardo Camavinga the best player on the park – scoring him 8/10 to ‘reflect his destruction in all four corners of the field throughout a huge match.’
Real’s Eduardo Camavinga was L’Equipe’s top-rated player as the first leg ended all-square
There was praise for City’s Phil Foden (middle) as he scored an eye-catching Bernabeu goal
They added on the France international: ‘Sharp offensively, brilliant technically and impressive in recovery, he is a formidable and precious Swiss army knife.’
There was also praise for scorer Rodrygo, who got 7/10, as L’Equipe said he made Akanji ‘dizzy’ throughout the match and scored a ‘lucky but valuable goal.’
Bernardo Silva also collected the same score, with the paper describing him as ‘undoubtedly City’s most consistent player, who offered the most and held the ball best.’
The second leg will be played in Manchester next Wednesday.