Football fans have worked out what Erling Haaland said to Yassine Bounou after footage of their exchange went viral following Manchester City’s shock 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup Round of 16 in the early hours of Tuesday morning. After a flawless group stage, Pep Guardiola’s side were hoping for another straightforward tie at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
City opened the scoring inside nine minutes through Bernardo Silva, but goals in the 46th and 53rd minutes from Marcos Leonardo and Malcom gave Al-Hilal the lead. Haaland equalised just two minutes later to take the tie into extra-time, and after Kalidou Koulibaly’s strike was answered by Phil Foden, Leonardo grabbed the winner, despite the 10-time Premier League champions dominating possession and registering 30 shots across 120 minutes.
It will be seen as a milestone victory in the Middle East, as Saudi Arabia’s heavy spending appears to have been vindicated in their ambitions of rivalling Europe as the global leader in football. And it appears Haaland holds the utmost respect for ‘Bono’, as he seemed to be trying to convince the Moroccan goalkeeper to make a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer.
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What Erling Haaland Said To Bono After Al-Hilal 4-3 Man City
The striker appeared to try to convince him to join Man City
Man City’s shock defeat at the hands of Simone Inzaghi’s new side was very much a game that demanded full attention on the goalkeepers. While the Etihad Stadium faithful made their opinions clear – believing Ederson should leave the club after conceding four goals from just six shots on target – a lot of praise was directed Bono’s way.
Despite conceding three goals himself, the former Sevilla shot-stopper also managed to save 10 shots and successfully completed 12 of his 19 long ball attempts. After the full-time whistle, Haaland could be seen embracing and congratulating the Moroccan international before seemingly saying (watch the moment below):
“Come to [Manchester] City.”
The 34-year-old was part of the Moroccan national team that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, earning a spot in the Team of the Tournament thanks to a Man of the Match performance against Spain in the Round of 16 and conceding just once in the quarter-finals.
At the time, it looked almost certain he’d be heading to the Premier League, but he has continued to prove he’s still got it in his locker with his performances in the Club World Cup this summer. Watch his outrageous save to deny Savinho below:
Interestingly, Haaland’s positive exchange with Bono marks a significant U-turn from his opinion of the goalkeeper back in 2021, when a 2-2 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla in the Champions League saw the Norwegian frontman scream in his face after believing Bono was trying to cheat by being off his line for a penalty earlier in the match.
The latest moment goes to show that the best way to win over your enemies is through hard work and special performances – something Bono certainly delivered by helping Al-Hilal progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face Brazilian side Fluminense on Friday night.
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