Players of Gibraltar snubbed Norwegian talisman Erling Haaland after both parties met in a 2022 World Cup qualifying game.
According to their statements, players of Gibraltar tagged the Dortmund forward as lacking class and respect.
Highlights on the game against Gibraltar
Norway produced a scintillating display in the qualifying game against Gibraltar. As was expected, Erling Haaland was once again on the scoresheet even scoring a Hat-Trick.
However, at the sound of the final whistle, the Norwegian was snubbed by all Gibraltar players.
In normal circumstances for a player who just scored a hat-trick, his shirt would be highly on-demand at the sound of the final whistles. Nonetheless, against the run of play, no Gibraltar player made a move to swap shirts with Haaland.
Reasons behind the actions of the Gibraltar players
In the post-match press conference, the captain of Gibraltar explained the reasons behind their actions.
He referred to a match about 6 months ago, a player of Gibraltar made a move to swap shirts with Erling Haaland. However, the Norwegian laughed it off and walked away. Much to the displeasure of many supporters of Gibraltar.
Fast forward to today, even after netting a hat-trick against them, the players of Gibraltar were having none of it concerning swapping shirts with Erling Haaland.
In a nutshell, the actions of the Gibraltar players were more of a payback scenario.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, Haaland's refusal to swap shirts with the Gibraltar midfielder in the match may have been a bitter experience for the player. On his part, it is pretty obvious Haaland had his reasons for not wanting to swap shirts with the player.
However, in anger and disapproval, Haaland keeps netting for club and country. Gradually, he is becoming a goal machine and making sure he leaves no stone unturned. Surely, he has been a joy to watch for his supporters.
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