Erling Haaland was involved in quite the personal duel against Sweden on Sunday night — and unsurprisingly, the new Manchester City striker came out on top.
Haaland bagged a brace to guide Norway to a 2-1 victory over their neighbours in the Nations League, and continue his hot streak in front of goal. It follows on from his winner over Serbia just a few days before as his country continued their perfect start to the competition.
City fans will no doubt be getting more excited ahead of the striker's arrival at the Etihad next month. And if there’s a lesson to be learnt for Premier League defenders ahead of next season, it’s to not rile Haaland up.
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The 21-year-old had an ongoing battle with Swedish defender Alexander Milosevic, with Haaland revealing some of the unbelievable on-field exchanges he had with the former Nottingham Forest player to TV2 after the game. Haaland, though, would go on to get the last laugh.
“First he called me a wh**e. I can safely say that I am not,” Haaland said. “Secondly, he said he was going to break my legs, a minute-and-a-half later I scored. That was fine, that.”
Haaland’s Norway team-mate know only too well you shouldn’t wind the former Borussia Dortmund star up, with Leo Skiri Ostigard commenting on the incidents: “That’s the dumbest thing to do.
“To fire up Erling – I’ve tried to do it in training, and I’ll never do it again. It’s something he likes, and then it slams fast behind you.”
But Milosevic denied making the comment to Haaland. And having also claimed the new City striker is not one of the best players he has come up against, it sets up a tasty rivalry ahead of next season in the Premier League.
“I would not have said that,” Milosevic insisted. “It is quite rude to say what he says, because I do not speak Norwegian and he does not speak Swedish, so I do not know how we should communicate. I do not speak English on the pitch, so it is special that he says things I have not said.”
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