Erling Haaland was branded "shocking" and "not interested" after struggling in Norway's 2-1 defeat to Wales in the Nations League on Thursday. Former Cardiff and Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley issued the scathing verdict on the Manchester City forward's first appearance since the club's breach of Premier League financial rules was made official.
Haaland's Nightmare Evening in Cardiff
The 26-year-old might have viewed Wales as an opportunity to maintain his blistering goalscoring form and distance himself from the controversy surrounding City. Haaland had netted seven goals in his previous five matches and came up against a side without a win in six and one who fielded five Championship players in their XI.
But Haaland suffered a nightmare evening at the Cardiff City Stadium. He squandered two golden chances to find the net, a header which he struck directly at Danny Ward and another that flew over the bar. Beyond that, Haaland had a few physical battles with Tottenham defender Ben Davies and Swansea's Ben Cabango, but the 26-year-old was mainly anonymous on a testing evening for his Norway colleagues.
Ledley's Verdict on Haaland's Display
Oscar Bobb had put Stale Solbakken's side ahead, only for Leeds winger Dan James to equalise for Wales. Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams then sealed the turnaround in the second half.
Delivering his assessment of Haaland and his display against Wales, Ledley pulled no punches. "I thought he was shocking. He didn't offer anything for Norway and I was watching him all game," he told the BBC. "His movement wasn't there, he wasn't coming short [to receive the ball], his touches... he had 11 in the first half. The majority of the time he gets on these crosses, but Ben Cabango was outstanding.
"Ben Davies as well, managed him very well. It was pretty easy for them to do that. He can leap, is physically strong, he's quick as well. Wales were so high, I was expecting him to run in behind, but he wasn't interested at all."
Earnshaw's Take and City's Appeal
Ex-Nottingham Forest and Wales forward Robert Earnshaw added: "Haaland was quiet. He was quiet because the moments he could have scored - and in the Premier League we see it - at the far post, a headed goal, some brilliant finish. But we were right there [to stop him]. When you're defending against him it's about the first contact. I thought it was great defending 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 in early."
Haaland's appearance for Norway against Wales came just over 48 hours after the Premier League confirmed that City had been found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of its financial regulations between 2009/10 and 2017/18. They said that City artificially inflated revenue by more than £900million through 'sham' sponsorship deals. City, however, have denied any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal on Thursday. The club maintain they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and insist they have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to back their case.
"Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter," City said in a statement on Friday. "The Club's firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe. The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete."
