While Erling Haaland experienced a quiet night on the Bernabeu pitch, the Manchester City striker’s father Alfie Haaland was escorted out of a Real Madrid hospitality box after a confrontation with the home fans.
A viral video displayed Alfie Haaland having a discussion with a Real Madrid fan before goading others by cupping his ears and waving towards them while leaving the VIP area.
The reaction came in the aftermath of Kevin de Bruyne’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
A number of security officers and police quickly escorted Alfie Haaland and another man away from the corporate box, with the Norwegian later clarifying the situation.
“OK. Real Madrid was not happy we were celebrating Kevin de Bruyne’s goal,” Alfie Haaland confirmed on Twitter. “Other than that we had to move because Real Madrid fans not happy with 1-1.”
Alfie Haaland, a former Manchester City player, now serves as his son’s agent and regularly attends City matches to offer his support.
The result puts City in a strong position heading back to the Etihad for the second leg next Tuesday.
And Jack Grealish insists Pep Guardiola’s side have learned from last year’s heartache.
“We have a new team this year, different players,” the England midfielder told BT Sport:
“We’ve learned so much since last year. Now we have the perfect balance of experience and a few youngsters who are just world-class.
“I think we just have quality and I’ve never felt so confident going on to the pitch and having these players around me.
“Within ourselves at the Etihad, we feel unstoppable there. We came here to try and win, but it shows our character to go a goal down – it’s always difficult to play at a place like this.
“In the end I think it was a fair result. They had their chances, we had a few as well.”
