Erling Haaland has accused FC Porto defender Pablo Rosario of grabbing his bottom during their Champions League clash. The Norwegian Manchester City striker made the claim in an interview with Norwegian TV2 after his brace secured a 2-0 win at the Estádio do Dragão.
FC Porto, who top the Primeira Liga with 15 points from five wins in five games, now face a potential UEFA disciplinary investigation. Sérgio Conceição's side holds a two-point lead over Sporting CP and has the league's best attack with 11 goals scored and just one conceded. Their next challenge is an away fixture against Casa Pia on September 12th.
Erling Haaland was explicit in his description of the incident with Pablo Rosario. The striker, who matched Sergio Agüero as City's all-time top Champions League scorer with 36 goals, claimed the Porto defender was determined to stop his hat-trick. "I was really keen on a hat-trick and it seemed like he [Rosario] was very eager to stop me from getting it," Haaland said. "It was a little interesting, that. You’ll be seeing a picture where he’s grabbing my bottom..."
Haaland's first goal came two minutes after the second-half restart. His second arrived in the 91st minute, following a foul by Rosario on the Norwegian that sparked a scuffle and yellow cards for both. The dispute occurred shortly after that second goal. Haaland is in a rich vein of scoring form, with five goals in his last three appearances, three of them headers. In his club career, he has now scored 37 headed goals, an aspect he worked on with his father, former midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, just two days before the interview.
UEFA is reviewing reports from referee Szymon Marciniak and match delegate Stephanie Ford. The governing body could open formal disciplinary proceedings, with a financial penalty the likely punishment for any guilty party. Porto coach Francesco Farioli was aggrieved by other officiating decisions during the match.
Farioli specifically referenced the incident where City's Marc Guehi struck Gabri Veiga in the head, avoiding a red card. "The footage of the foul on Gabri Veiga is very clear and (Josko) Gvardiol should also have been shown a second yellow card," the Italian coach stated. "He behaved in an unsporting manner when he was already on a yellow." Tension from this and other incidents spilled into the tunnel at half-time, requiring security personnel to intervene. Footage showed City captain Ruben Dias placing his hand on Farioli's chest near the tunnel entrance.
FC Porto's focus now fully returns to defending their lead in the Primeira Liga. The team is in impeccable form with five consecutive wins and a +10 goal difference. Defensive consistency, conceding just once, has been a pillar of this league start. Maintaining this rhythm will require careful squad management, which can be tracked on our squad page.
The next test is a trip to face Casa Pia, who sit 18th in the table. This is one of several upcoming fixtures listed in our fixtures schedule. The team must manage the physical and emotional toll of the European duel while maintaining focus domestically. The current standings, which cement their first-place position, are available on our standings page. The objective is clear: keep winning to distance themselves from the chasing pack.
