Erling Haaland (25, Manchester City) missing a penalty kick has caused a significant shock.

The UK 'BBC' reported on the 18th (Korea time) that "Haaland will feel pain seeing Wembley Stadium. He had the chance to break the scoring curse but passed the ball to Omar Marmoush. Marmoush's penalty kick was saved by Dean Henderson."

On the same day, Manchester City lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace in the English FA Cup final of the 2024-2025 season, held at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Despite taking 23 shots, they were unable to score a goal, leading to a disappointing defeat.

As a result, Manchester City finished as FA Cup runners-up for the second consecutive season. It is the first time in 8 seasons that Manchester City has ended a season without a trophy since the 2016-2017 season. It is also the second time in Pep Guardiola's career that he has not lifted any trophies.

On the other hand, Palace made history by winning their first major tournament trophy since their founding in 1905. They previously only had victories in the English Championship (second division) and League One (third division). The FA Cup victory marks their first title in the 164-year history since its establishment in 1871. This win has allowed Palace to advance to the UEFA Europa League (UEL) for the first time next season.

For Manchester City, it is an extremely disappointing runner-up finish. They maintained a high possession throughout the match and attacked Palace's goal, but were ultimately denied by Henderson's brilliant saves. They conceded the first goal to Eberechi Eze in the 16th minute after a counterattack and were unable to recover.

In the end, Manchester City confirmed their trophyless season. Their only victory was in the Community Shield at the beginning of the season. In the Premier League, they are struggling in a tough race for 4th place, and they were eliminated in the fourth round of the League Cup. In the UEFA Champions League (UCL), they faced Real Madrid in the round of 16 playoffs and were eliminated.

Especially, Haaland could not escape the blame for the defeat. He played the full 90 minutes and took 3 shots, but only one was on target. Above all, the decision to pass the penalty kick to Marmoush was a critical mistake. Haaland is the designated penalty taker for Manchester City, but he did not take it. After touching the ball, he passed it to his teammate Marmoush. However, Marmoush's shot was easily read by goalkeeper Henderson and was saved.

Thus, Haaland once again hung his head in disappointment at Wembley Stadium. He has scored 30 goals this season, showcasing his terrifying scoring ability, but he has now gone six games without a goal at Wembley. Furthermore, he failed to score in the final for the 8th consecutive match, drawing criticism. In some ways, this behavior reflects a lack of responsibility and an inability to cope with pressure.

Pep Guardiola said, "Honestly, I thought that Haaland would definitely want to take the penalty in that situation. I haven't spoken to the player about it yet," adding, "Penalties are influenced by how players feel in that moment. Perhaps the situation was judged for Marmoush to be more accurate."

However, outside observers were more critical. Legendary striker and commentator Wayne Rooney noted, "Only good strikers, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, can handle these situations. If it were Ronaldo, he would never have passed the penalty in that situation," emphasizing, "Haaland's mental state affects his performance. He probably felt pressured taking a penalty at Wembley."

Alan Shearer also joined in on Rooney's comments. He stated, "Honestly, as a former striker, if someone came to ask me not to take the penalty, I would have been angry. Saying it’s because I missed one during the season or just returned from injury is all an excuse. I couldn't believe Haaland passed the ball to another player and told him to take it."

[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (no reproduction or redistribution without permission), CBS Sports, Golazo, OneFootball, BBC, Premier League Townsend's social media.

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