Erling Haaland was "shocking" and "didn't offer anything" in his first appearance since Manchester City acknowledged they were officially found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules. That is according to former Cardiff and Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley, who delivered a damning assessment of Haaland's performance during Norway's 2-1 defeat to Wales on Thursday.
The 26-year-old might have looked at Wales as a chance to continue his red-hot goalscoring streak and escape the scandal involving City. Haaland had scored seven goals in his previous five matches and faced a team winless in six who started the game with five players from the Championship in their line-up.
Difficult Evening at Cardiff City Stadium
However, Haaland endured a night to forget at the Cardiff City Stadium. He missed two huge opportunities to score, a header which he fired straight at Danny Ward and another that sailed over the crossbar.
Apart from that, Haaland had a couple of tussles with Tottenham defender Ben Davies and Swansea's Ben Cabango, but the 26-year-old was largely ineffective on a difficult evening for his Norway teammates.
Oscar Bobb had given Stale Solbakken's side the lead, only for Leeds winger Dan James to level for Wales. Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams then completed the comeback in the second half.
Ledley's Verdict on Haaland
Delivering his verdict on Haaland and his performance against Wales, Ledley did not hold back. "I thought he was shocking. He didn't offer anything for Norway and I was watching him all game," he told the BBC (via Wales Online).
"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 Assessment 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 appealed the decision on Thursday. The club believe they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and say they have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to support 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."
