During Sunday’s Premier League match against Sheffield United, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland missed a penalty. However, he has demonstrated that he won’t allow this miss to affect his mindset

Erling Haaland, the Manchester City forward, experienced a penalty miss during Sunday’s Premier League match against Sheffield United, demonstrating that even the best strikers can falter from the spot. Despite sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, Haaland’s left-footed penalty struck the inside of the post and bounced away, leaving him unlucky on this occasion.

After the game, City assistant manager Juanma Lillo praised Haaland’s mental strength and resilience. Lillo noted that the penalty miss could have happened to any striker and highlighted Haaland’s determination to continue striving for goals, even after setbacks.

Lillo said, “Today would have been difficult for any striker, how it played out in the first half. Of course, there was the situation with the penalty, which is frustrating for anyone, but that could happen to any striker, not just Erling. What it does show is that, and not just because he scored, because he came close on a couple of other occasions as well, came really close with (another) header, that it really shows his mental fortitude to keep going and keep going.”

Guardiola, the City manager, emphasized Haaland’s strong mindset and recalled a conversation after another missed penalty in a previous game. He explained how Haaland’s immediate response was, “I’m going to score the next one,” highlighting the mentality of top players who don’t dwell on past mistakes but focus on the next opportunity.

While Haaland didn’t score from the penalty spot on this occasion, his mental resilience suggests that he is likely to continue performing with confidence in future penalty situations.