Pep Guardiola has “nothing to say to Spanish referees” after Manchester City dropped two points in Monaco thanks to a last-minute Eric Dier penalty. Jesús Gil Manzano was sent to the screen by the video assistant referee before awarding the spot-kick after he adjudged Nico González’s high boot against the English centre-back merited punishment.
Erling Haaland scored twice for City but they were pegged back on two occasions through Jordan Teze and Dier’s late penalty. It had been a dominant performance from City but they fell short at the end.
Guardiola did not want to discuss the penalty decision after the match and referred to officials from his homeland generally. The City head coach previously had a difficult relationship with his compatriot Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who awarded three penalties against his team in as many Champions League matches and booked Sergio Agüero for a dive in a match against Monaco when a spot-kick was merited.
The decision to award the late penalty cost City two points. “We played a really good game,” Guardiola said. “In football you have to win with the result. If you analyse the game there were many things that were very good. Step by step we will be better but we had many chances and Phil [Foden] in the first half and many players played really good. We conceded almost nothing.
“They defended so deep and tight, that is so different to the way Monaco play in Ligue 1, but we played really good. When it’s close, you have to defend and we take the point.”
Haaland’s two goals were only good enough for a draw in the end, as he took his Champions League tally to a startling 52 in 50 appearances.
“It isn’t good enough,” the Norwegian striker said of the team’s performance. “We have to try and win the next game. It is the only thing we can do.
“We need more energy. We needed to get at them more like in the first half, they took the lead in the second half and I don’t think it’s good enough.”
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Of the penalty award he said: “I didn’t see it – but if you kick someone in the face, it’s probably a penalty.”
