Man City: Erling Haaland raises eyebrows after 'shockingly bad' display in Morocco vs Norway

Erling Haaland is clearly not having the best of times away on international duty after another incredible campaign for Manchester City.

The 25-year-old finished the 2025-26 campaign on 38 goals and nine assists in 52 games across all competitions, which is hardly a surprise anymore.

It was his second-highest scoring season since joining the Citizens in the summer of 2022, but his form doesn't always translate to every stage across the footballing world.

Haaland is often accused of disappearing in cup finals, even sometimes in big Premier League games, and it would appear that Norwegian fans are discovering the same about him ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Erling Haaland worst of the worst in Norway draw

Man City's No.9 will have a chance to prove himself at the World Cup, facing Iraq, Senegal and France in the group stages first.

However, he will need to improve significantly if he is to have the desired impact for Norway, having been totally crushed by reviews as the team were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco on Sunday, 7 June.

"The striker was invisible in the first half. He played up after the break, but this was actually a shockingly weak rehearsal," Dagbladet wrote as he was awarded 2/10 match rating.

The newspaper also noted that he was "shockingly bad," touching the ball just four times in 72 minutes before being hooked and replaced by Crystal Palace's Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Man City striker's full stats from 1-1 draw vs Morocco

His lack of touches is not always an issue at the Etihad Stadium. With the calibre of players around him, they often find him rather than the striker having to create the chances for himself.

That clearly isn't the case in the Norwegian national team. He completed just two passes, with his only shot being blocked, while having just one touch in the opposition box [FotMob].

And yes, it does get worse. The centre-forward was caught offside once and failed to enter into any duels, ground or aerial, in an attempt to put the Morocco defence under some pressure.

While it could be argued that he didn't want to get injured ahead of the World Cup, it was a very sorry display from the Man City star, and one that will have alarm bells ringing before the tournament kicks off.