Manchester City were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw away to Monaco after a stoppage-time penalty from Eric Dier denied them victory in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Dier converted from the spot in the 90th minute to cancel out Erling Haaland’s first-half brace, striking low past Gianluigi Donnarumma after a VAR review confirmed a high boot from Nico Gonzalez had caught the defender in the head. It prevented City from securing what would have been their first away win in the competition in a year.
Pep Guardiola’s side, who opened their European campaign with a 2-0 win over Napoli, now sit on four points from two matches. Monaco, beaten 4-1 by Club Brugge in their opener, remain in the elimination zone with a single point.
“I do not think we played well enough. We did not deserve to win,” Haaland admitted afterwards. “We needed more energy. We dominated in the first half but they were better in the second. It is not good enough.”
City started brightly in front of a subdued crowd at the Stade Louis II. Haaland raced clear of the defence before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Phillip Koehn in the 15th minute, marking his 51st goal in 50 Champions League appearances.
Monaco responded immediately. Jordan Teze capitalised on a high press three minutes later, lashing a powerful effort into the top corner after Folarin Balogun came close to connecting with a Maghnes Akliouche cross.
The Premier League champions controlled much of the first half, with Phil Foden rattling the crossbar before Haaland headed home a Nico O’Reilly delivery on the stroke of half-time to restore the lead.
Monaco emerged with renewed purpose after the interval. Akliouche forced Donnarumma into a smart save with a low shot, while Haaland narrowly missed the chance to complete his hat-trick with a fierce strike 16 minutes from time.
City appeared content to sit on their advantage and were punished for their lack of urgency in the final moments. Following a lengthy review, the referee awarded Monaco a penalty and Dier made no mistake to secure an unlikely point.
City travel to Villarreal on 21 October, while Monaco host Tottenham the following day.
