Borussia Dortmund may have lost their match against Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions Leagaue last night, but that does not take the spotlight away from Erling Braut Haaland's shining star. The Norwegian drew controversy after a match official was spotted asking the striker for an autograph.

Borussia Dortmund lost the first leg of the tie 2-1 against Manchester City. After the match ended, a Romanian assistant referee allegedly followed the Norwegian down the tunnel at the Etihad Stadium. The referee then pulled out a red and yellow card from his pocket which he asked the player to sign.

BBC reported the incident, which did not seem to bother Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola so much. "Maybe he's a fan of Haaland. Maybe it was for his son or daughter. I've never seen it before, but the referee and the linesman were correct, they did a good job. That's all."

Of course, Guardiola will be happy about the result after his team came out victorious. However, the match did not come without controversial officiating. Head referee Ovidiu Hategan and his team had a difficult first half especially after disallowing a Jude Bellingham goal which could have allowed Dortmund to equalise.

Instead of a goal, Bellingham ended up with a booking for a foul on the goalkeeper. Replays showed that there was actually no foul but the VAR did not overturn the decision.

"I definitely think I won the ball fairly. It's a bit frustrating in a time when they've got so many cameras watching the game that they don't wait for me to put the ball in the net and then check it," said Bellingham.

City was also awarded a penalty which was later overruled by VAR. Overall, it was a controversial evening for the officials, and it was made even more bizarre by the autograph incident.

Erling Haaland
Erling Braut Haaland POOL / Thomas KIENZLE
Manchester City FC