Haaland scores twice as captain but ignores Maresca's own touchline rule in PSG defeat

Erling Haaland scored twice as a makeshift Manchester City captain during a 4-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium, but both times ignored Enzo Maresca’s long-standing rule that the skipper must come to the touchline for instructions immediately after a goal.

PSG had raced into a three-goal lead inside 19 first-half minutes, with Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha all finding the net in a breathless spell. Maresca responded with a raft of changes at the break, including the withdrawal of club captain Rúben Dias, which left Haaland as the next in line to wear the armband.

The decision placed the Norwegian in an awkward spot given Maresca’s own words on the subject. Speaking during the club’s pre-season tour of Asia, the manager had explained his approach in detail: “At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench for instructions and not celebrate. But if he scores, then he can celebrate. If Erling is the captain, f------ hell — we have a problem, can you imagine?”

Haaland, it turned out, had no intention of observing the protocol. After his first goal — a superb glancing header — he fist-bumped the air, exchanged a brief word with Joško Gvardiol, and jogged back to the centre circle without approaching the dugout. His second strike, scored after PSG had re-established their three-goal cushion, prompted an even simpler response: he simply ran straight back to the halfway line.

In fairness to Haaland, Maresca appeared to acknowledge the spirit of the rule rather than its letter. With City chasing a heavy deficit, the City head coach was seen pacing his technical area with arms folded rather than issuing urgent instructions — suggesting the protocol is designed primarily for moments when a goal shifts the tactical balance, not when a side is pulling one back from three down.

The captaincy picture at City has become complicated in recent months. Rodri remains sidelined with a back injury, while Bernardo Silva’s departure has further thinned the leadership group Maresca had been building around. “In the case of Rodri, see what happens,” Maresca said earlier in the season when asked about the long-term arrangements.

Among the 60,000 supporters at the Etihad was former City manager Pep Guardiola, who flew in from Barcelona to attend the match. His visit came in the wake of the club’s guilty verdict on 114 financial charges; City have appealed against the independent panel’s findings and continue to maintain their innocence.