Erling Haaland falls short against Real Madrid again as Eric Dier emerges as Bayern Munich’s unlikely hero – Champions League hits and misses

Manchester City’s dreams of retaining the Champions League were shattered after a dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid; Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were snuffed out as Joshua Kimmich’s bullet header was enough to take Bayern Munich into the semi-finals. The night had started well for Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was the recipient of the Champions League golden boot having scored 12 times en route to lifting the trophy last season. It was a peculiar time to be collecting the award, coming before being well-marshalled by both Nacho and Antonio Rudiger.Despite mustering just 21 touches, the expectation was that he would emerge for extra time. There had been one moment during the first half when he accelerated away from Nacho to remind onlookers that he is a lot more than just a finisher to bring in Jack Grealish.Haaland would have five attempts of his own, amassing an xG of 0.68 – higher than any team-mate. He would hit the crossbar and send another header over. And yet, the Etihad was stunned to see his number go up as Julian Alvarez was introduced.Earlier in the contest, Pep Guardiola had replaced Grealish with Jeremy Doku in a move which paid off handsomely. But replacing Haaland? Even with the possibility of penalties half an hour away, it seemed an odd decision.And so it emerged, with Guardiola confirming that the striker had asked to be replaced. Haaland’s final act came with the last touch of normal time as he couldn’t direct another header on target. Thereafter, City ran out of ideas with the low road proving easier for the Madrid defence to navigate.”You always do everything to try and avoid going to penalties, that’s what they wanted, but it’s difficult to take,” Ruben Dias said afterwards. City’s designated taker watched on powerless from the sidelines.Having failed to score at the Santiago Bernabeu – and across the Champions League semi-final against Real last season – those lingering doubts over Haaland’s influence on the biggest stage will grow.