It had been a subdued night in Monaco, with Manchester City sleepwalking to victory until Nico González kicked Eric Dier in the face in a failed attempt to defend a free-kick. Chaos ensued with a melee as City lost their cool and the chance of a perfect Champions League start, before Dier calmly slotted home a last-minute penalty.
City have only themselves to blame for not finishing off a stubborn Monaco off earlier. Erling Haaland proved there was such a thing as a sure bet as he increased his club tally to 11 goals in eight games, only to have his work undone by two incidents of poor defending.
Written by Will Unwin at the Stade Louis II
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/oct/01/monaco-manchester-city-champions-league-match-report under the title “Late Dier penalty for Monaco pegs back Manchester City after Haaland double”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
