ERLING HAALAND told Daniel Munoz that he gave up Manchester City’s penalty in Saturday’s FA Cup final because Omar Marmoush is “also a good kicker”, the Crystal Palace star has claimed.
Haaland, 24, is City’s top scorer this season with 21 Premier League goals.
The Norwegian has taken seven penalties this term, scoring four of them.
Trailing 1-0 on Saturday, City were awarded a spot kick for Tyrick Mitchell’s foul on Bernardo Silva.
Haaland initially grabbed the ball, before surprisingly giving it to Marmoush.
The Egyptian had never previously taken a penalty for City, but scored four out of four for Eintracht Frankfurt during the first half of the season.
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Palace’s Wembley hero Dean Henderson, who had been fortunate not to be sent off for a deliberate handball, guessed right and saved Marmoush’s spot-kick, with Palace going on to win 1-0.
Colombian Munoz earned the player of the match award at Wembley, having set up Eberechi Eze’s winner.
Speaking to 10Sports in his homeland, the wing-back said of the spot kick incident: “I asked him (Haaland) why he didn’t take the penalty, since he was the team’s top scorer.
“And he told me that his team-mate was also a good kicker. So, I told him, ‘If you don’t take the penalty, he’ll miss.’ And he missed.”
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After the game, Henderson also suggested that Haaland should have taken it.
The Palace stopper told ITV: “To be fair, [Erling] Haaland might have stepped up, I wasn’t sure which way he’d go.
“He gave it to [Omar] Marmoush, I knew which way he was going. I knew I’d save it.”
Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit at Wembley for the BBC, was critical of Haaland’s decision to hand off the penalty.
The Manchester United legend said: “I don’t think he’s given it away.
“I think it’s been taken off him before the game, I think it’s been decided (pre-match).”
When presenter Gary Lineker, who will leave the BBC after this Sunday’s Match of the Day, added “you can’t override the manager”, Rooney insisted: “There’s moments you can. And I think Haaland should have taken the penalty.”
Man City ratings
MANCHESTER CITY were stunned by Crystal Palace at Wembley, condemning Pep Guardiola to a first trophyless season in eight years.
After the final, Pep Guardiola admitted that he didn’t know why Haaland hadn’t take the penalty.
The Man City boss, 54, said: “They decided on the pitch.
“I don’t know. I didn’t speak with them. I thought he (Haaland) would want to take it. These are things for them.
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“That moment for the free kick, for the penalty, it’s the feeling and how they feel. They decided Omar was ready to take it. Henderson made a good save.”
Haaland extended his streak of never scoring at Wembley to five games, with City set to go trophyless this season for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Crystal Palace ratings
CRYSTAL PALACE secured their first ever trophy with a famous FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
