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In Real Madrid and Manchester City's first-leg quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, City striker Erling Haaland had a tough outing against Los Blancos centre-back Antonio Rüdiger. While the match ended in a 3-3 draw, Real Madrid fans have been appreciative of their German centre-back. Rüdiger took Haaland to task, keeping the 23-year-old Norwegian star from scoring a single goal.
Fans flooded social media with posts celebrating the 31-year-old defender's contribution in the clash. Here is a collection of their posts on X:
"Rudiger lock haaland throw key inside ocean"
"Rudiger please don’t forget to remove haaland from your pocket"
"Rudiger won the battle vs Haaland. The wall," read one post.
Before this match, Carlo Ancelotti's men and Manchester City were last pitted against each other in the semi-finals of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League where Los Blancos faced a 5-1 aggregate loss. However, Erling Haaland did not have goal contributions in either of the legs as well. He has never netted a goal against the Spanish club in the Champions League.
Manchester City claimed the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League title after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final, which marked their first. Los Blancos, meanwhile, have won the title 14 times.
Real Madrid's road ahead
On April 18, the Spanish club will play against Manchester City in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal at Etihad Stadium.
Real Madrid are currently on top of the La Liga table with 75 points in 30 matches. They face RCD Mallorca in their next league fixture on April 13. Carlo Ancelotti's side has managed four wins in their last five matches.
Barcelona are in second place with an eight-point difference to their arch-rivals. Los Blancos have claimed the La Liga title 35 times, with the most recent being in the 2021–22 season.
