Last night, Real Madrid were involved in one of the greatest Champions League clashes of all-time against Manchester City. Needless to say, the quality on the pitch was impeccable and it was a battle between two of the best clubs in the world right now. In the quarterfinal, there will be a giant killing but one Real Madrid player stepped up to give Real Madrid a chance heading into the 2nd leg.
One Real Madrid star completely isolated Erling Haaland in the Champions League
That player was Antonio Rudiger, the Germany international defender who played expertly well to isolate a world-class striker in Erling Haaland. Dubbed by 90min as Real Madrid's best player on the night, we can only concur.
Last night was a battle of the greats as both attacks got the better of their opposing defence. However, from an individual perspective, Erling Haaland did not get the better of Antonio Rudiger. In fact, far from it.
In the match, Erling Haaland managed just one shot (as per FotMob) and had an xG (expected goals) of just 0.07. It goes without saying that Haaland is one of the best strikers in the world so it was key to Carlo Ancelotti that Antonio Rudiger isolated him and starved him of chances, which he did to the best of his ability.
FotMob stats indicate that Antonio Rudiger won 3 duels, including 75% of his ground duels. He also made nine defensive actions in a game which was one of his best this season.
Of course, the storyline of the game will be that every single goal was a cracker, and understandably so - It was certainly a game in which the attackers stole the limelight. However, the performance of Antonio Rudiger must not go overlooked. He was incredible and he isolated a world-class striker in Erling Haaland, yet again.
What did you make of Antonio Rudiger in the Champions League last night?