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Erling Haaland endured a night to forget as Wales’ defense kept the Man City superstar quiet, prompting a brutal verdict from BBC pundit Joe Ledley.
Erling Haaland was labeled “shocking” by BBC pundit Joe Ledley after Wales kept the Norway superstar quiet in their impressive 2-1 Nations League win at Cardiff City Stadium.
Craig Bellamy’s side came from behind to beat Norway on Thursday night and claim their first Nations League A win, with Daniel James canceling out Oscar Bobb’s early opener before Neco Williams hit the winner shortly after the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
Much of the pre-match focus had been on Norway’s fearsome attacking threat, with Haaland leading the line after helping his country reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
But Wales’ defense largely kept the Manchester City forward out of the game, with centre-back Ben Cabango and captain Ben Davies drawing particular praise for their handling of him.
Haaland had just 11 touches in the first half and failed to register a goal as Norway suffered a second successive defeat.
The performance came just days after the Premier League confirmed that an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of its financial rules during a nine season period between 2009/10 and 2017/18.
The commission found that the city arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners, false accounts and violated spending limits, with the club having the right to appeal the results. Sanctions are dealt with separately.
However, Haaland’s display was assessed purely on what happened on the pitch by former Wales international Ledley, who worked for the BBC.
And he didn’t hold back.
“I thought he was shocking,” Ledley said.
“He didn’t offer anything for Norway and I watched him the whole game. His movement wasn’t there, he wasn’t short [to receive the ball]his touches … he had 11 in the first half.
“The majority of the time he gets those crosses but Ben Cabango was outstanding. Ben Davies directed him very well as well.
“It was pretty easy for them to do that.
“He can jump, he’s physically strong, he’s also fast. Wales was so tall, I expected him to run behind, but he wasn’t interested at all.”
Ledley’s assessment was backed up by fellow BBC pundit Rob Earnshaw, who pointed to the way Wales prevented Norway from supplying Haaland in the positions where he is usually most dangerous.
“Haaland was quiet,” Earnshaw said. “He was calm because the moments he could score – and in the Premier League we see it – at the far post, a header, a brilliant finish.
“But we were right there [to stop him].
“When you defend against him, it’s about the first contact. I thought it was great defense and that was the key.
“The other side of it is that he relies on people to create and we were able to stop the ball coming early.”
The result marked a momentous night for Bellamy, with Wales recovering from their disappointing defeat to Denmark to record their first Nations League A win.
