Manchester City were given a major scare on Sunday night as Erling Haaland appeared to ask to be substituted during Norway's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal in Porto. The 26-year-old walked off in the 67th minute with the score level, prompting fears of an injury just a week before City's huge Premier League trip to Liverpool — but Norway boss Stale Solbakken has moved quickly to ease those concerns, insisting the withdrawal was planned.
The Scare in Porto
It was the moment every City fan dreaded. With Norway locked at 1-1 against Portugal at the Estadio do Dragao, Haaland turned to the dugout and signalled that he wanted to come off. Cameras appeared to catch the striker limping before and after his withdrawal, and BBC's Match of the Day flagged the incident as a potential injury blow.
Haaland was replaced by Crystal Palace forward Jorgen Strand Larsen — and within 12 minutes, Portugal had their winner. Goncalo Ramos, continuing to deputise impressively in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, struck in the 79th minute to seal a comeback victory for the hosts.
The defeat was a painful one for Norway in more ways than one. Kristoffer Ajer had fired the visitors ahead with a stunning 36th-minute volley from Martin Odegaard's cross, only for Joao Cancelo to equalise two minutes later. Ramos' late strike then condemned Norway to a third straight Nations League defeat, leaving them rooted to the bottom of Group A4 after earlier 2-1 losses to Portugal and Wales. Portugal, by contrast, became the first team to book their place in the Nations League quarter-finals, even finishing the game with ten men after Francisco Conceicao was dismissed late on for two quick bookings.
According to Times, Haaland was able to leave the pitch unaided — but the sight of City's talisman signalling to the bench was enough to send alarm bells ringing at the Etihad, as talkSPORT also reported.
Solbakken Eases the Fears
Norway manager Stale Solbakken was quick to play down the scare after the match, telling Norwegian broadcaster TV2 that the substitution had been pre-planned to protect his exhausted star. "We were hoping for 60 minutes, and he managed 65," Solbakken said, via FootballToday.
Solbakken elaborated that the plan had been agreed in advance with several overworked players. "We were talking about the 60-minute mark or thereabouts," he said, as reported by Scout. "Jorgen Strand Larsen knew this, so he was warming up extremely aggressively, to avoid that stiff, cold feeling you get if you're suddenly thrown into the game."
The context makes the caution understandable. Haaland started four matches in the space of 11 days for Norway, completing 90 minutes in the first three against Denmark, Portugal and Wales. Solbakken has since allowed several players — Haaland included — to leave the camp immediately and take a few days off before reporting back to their clubs. The striker has already travelled back to England.
Why City Are Still Holding Their Breath
Reassuring words aside, City will want their own medical team to give Haaland the all-clear. The timing could hardly be more sensitive: City travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday in one of the fixtures of the Premier League season.
Haaland has been in blistering form, with seven goals in seven appearances in all competitions this term, and he has played every minute of City's Premier League campaign so far. His workload has been enormous — more than 4,100 minutes across 52 appearances last season, followed by a World Cup campaign and a shortened summer break. As we explored in our Haaland vs Ronaldo Norway-Portugal preview, the striker is the irreplaceable centrepiece of Enzo Maresca's attack.
It has already been a draining international break for the champions. Full-back Nico O'Reilly withdrew from the England squad for further assessment, and this remains City's first week since the Premier League confirmed its guilty verdict on more than 100 charges of breaching financial rules — a decision the club has appealed.
Notably, there was no sign of a limp when Haaland exited the stadium in Porto, and he received no treatment on the bench after coming off — both encouraging signs that this was fatigue management rather than a genuine injury.
Portugal Move On Without Ronaldo
The other major storyline from Porto was Portugal's continued comfort without their absent icon. Cristiano Ronaldo walked out of the national team camp last week after being left as an unused substitute for the first time in a competitive match in 18 years — a saga we covered when Ronaldo left the Portugal camp.
Head coach Jorge Jesus insists the door remains open, telling reporters: "There are no bad feelings with Cristiano... For me, everything is open." Joao Cancelo added: "Cristiano is our captain and the symbol of our national team." But with Ramos scoring the winner and Portugal into the quarter-finals, the post-Ronaldo era is gathering momentum with or without its greatest ever player.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Stale Solbakken's reassurance should calm the worst of Manchester City's fears, but until Haaland is pictured training freely this week, the Anfield countdown will carry an edge of anxiety. Norway's alarming workload numbers show exactly why the big clubs dread these marathon international windows. Was Solbakken right to flog his star through four games in 11 days — or should Norway have protected Haaland sooner? Have your say in the comments.
