Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz has revealed the reason for Erling Haaland handing an FA Cup final penalty to Manchester City colleague Omar Marmoush.
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Why Haaland handed over penalty to Marmoush revealedMarmoush missed the spot-kickPalace defender had warned HaalandFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
City had the opportunity to restore parity in the FA Cup final after Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock in the 16th minute from Munoz's assist. Just past the half-hour mark, Tyrick Mitchell brought down Bernardo Silva inside the area and a penalty was awarded to the Cityzens. Haaland, being the club's designated penalty taker, was expected to take the spot-kick, but to everyone's surprise, he handed over the ball to Marmoush.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It was Marmoush's first penalty kick since signing for City in January, but he squandered the opportunity as his effort was saved by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Before moving to England, Marmoush had converted all of the previous seven penalties he had taken for Eintracht Frankfurt. Haaland, meanwhile, has scored four penalties out of seven attempts for City across all competitions this season.
WHAT DANIEL MUNOZ SAID
Now Palace full-back Munoz has revealed why the Norwegian handed over the penalty kick to Marmoush. Speaking to , the 28-year-old said: "I asked him why he didn’t take the penalty, since he was the team’s top scorer. And he told me that his team-mate was also a good kicker. So, I told him, 'If you don’t take the penalty, he’ll miss.' And he missed."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?
Pep Guardiola's side will now aim to win their remaining Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Fulham on May 20 and 25, respectively, to secure a top five finish and qualify for the Champions League next season.