Man City star Erling Haaland's father ejected from stadium during Champions League match

The father of Manchester City forward Erling Haaland was kicked out of a VIP box at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday, while he was watching his son play in the first leg of City's Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid.

Alfie Haaland was seen in several videos that went viral on social media, where he is actively taunting Real Madrid fans from the relative comfort and safety of his box. He and another male companion could be seen on their feet making insulting gestures at the crowd. They would point to Real Madrid fans in the seats below them and would cup their ears as if pretending not to hear the fans who are telling them to leave.

The pair appeared to be taunting the home fans while the match was in progress, as screens behind them could be seen showing the action on the pitch. Fans from below the box looked annoyed as they looked back to see Haaland senior gesturing in a provocative manner. Some accounts state that he even threw peanuts at the fans, which eventually left stadium security no choice but to escort him and his companion out.

In other videos it appears as though the men were led out by a number of security officers at half-time, just when players were making their way into the tunnel. Alfie is no stranger to the rules surrounding behaviour during matches, having been a professional footballer himself. However, he seemed to have let his emotions get the better of him on Tuesday night.

It is unclear if Real Madrid will take any further action after ejecting Haaland senior and his companion from the box. Alfie was there to watch his son play in what could have been one of the biggest matches of his career. However, despite all the hype and his recent success, Haaland was unable to find the back of the net against the reigning champions.

Manchester City started the match in good form, dominating possession in the opening minutes. However, a brilliant strike from Vinicius Junior put the hosts on top in the first opportunity that he got to hit the target.

Real Madrid then managed to even out possession, and threatened to double the lead a number of times before Kevin de Bruyne managed to put an absolute screamer past Thibaut Courtois in the second half.

Overall, Haaland was neutralised by the Real Madrid defence, despite all the expectations on his shoulders after recently becoming the top scorer in a single season in England. He had to reply to both Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, who did a fine job of keeping him mute all evening.

The 22-year-old striker has already scored 51 goals this season, but his magic was not present at the Santiago Bernabeu. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with the semi-finals set to be decided in the return leg in Manchester next week.

Haaland will hope to draw on the energy of the home crowd to finally unleash his firing power, but Real Madrid will be ready like they usually are on big European nights. Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benema was not able to make a huge impact in the first leg and neither did Rodrygo Goes, who was instrumental in kicking out Manchester City at the same stage of the season last year.

Manchester City is hoping for a different fate this time around, as they aim to advance after a heartbreaking exit at the hands of Real Madrid last season. Pep Guardiola's men are chasing their first Champions League trophy, while Real Madrid are aiming for their 15th title.

UPDATE:

Alfie Haaland has since denied "throwing peanuts" at Real Madrid fans. He said they merely engaged in some "banter" and that he was not removed from the stadium. Instead, he says that they were simply asked to stay at a different part of the stadium just 50 metres away.