Haaland lacks courage?

Haaland comforts Marmoush after his teammate failed to take a penalty kick - Photo: REUTERS

When Man City were awarded a penalty kick in the 33rd minute of the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace in the early morning of May 18, everyone believed that Erling Haaland would be the one to take it.

The Norwegian striker is Man City's top scorer this season, and is also often given the responsibility of taking penalty kicks.

Haaland hugged the ball, kissed it, and then suddenly handed it back to his teammate Omar Marmoush with words of encouragement. The Egyptian striker then received the ball and failed to take a penalty kick. Haaland was also the first to run to comfort Marmoush.

In the world of football, it is not uncommon to give up penalties and want teammates to score. But Haaland's case is really confusing and happened at the wrong time.

In terms of goals, Haaland is in a more needy phase than Marmoush. The Norwegian striker has just returned from injury and is in dire need of goals to regain his form and confidence.

Haaland is too lacking in courage - Photo: REUTERS

In that situation, Haaland should have been the one to take the penalty, not Marmoush. According to statistics from The Guardian , Marmoush has not taken any penalty kicks since moving to Man City. Meanwhile, Haaland is a regular penalty taker for Man City and his success rate is very high (49/57 successful throughout his career).

Man City were trailing 0-1 in the final, and desperately needed a reliable penalty to equalize. Haaland should have taken it, not let his teammate take it. It was a risk, and Man City paid the price for Haaland's decision when Marmoush missed.

But the most important thing is Haaland's desire and courage. Every striker wants to score in the final, and so does Haaland. For a star as expected as Haaland, he also needs to take on the responsibility that no one dares to take at the most critical moment. That is the courage, value and stature of a great player. But Haaland chose to give up his courage and surrender to the pressure at Wembley to watch his teammate take the penalty.

Wayne Rooney is right, Haaland will never reach the level of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo if he avoids pressure. Messi and Ronaldo stand at the top of world football thanks to winning moments that no one else dares to face. Haaland is even far behind Kylian Mbappe - who successfully kicked three penalties in the 2022 World Cup final.

Pressure makes diamonds. Haaland will hardly become a superstar if he does not dare to face the pressure. Just one FA Cup final, but Haaland could not stand the heat, how can he go further. Now many fans understand why Haaland rarely shines in big matches.

In the end, Man City lost 0-1 to Crytsal Palace and let the cup go to their opponent. This defeat probably came partly from Haaland's lack of courage.

NOSTALGIA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/haaland-thieu-dung-khi-20250518065953787.htm