Did Pablo Rosario sexually assault Erling Haaland during the Manchester City-Porto UCL clash? Alleged ‘inappropriate touch’ sparks viral claims

The UEFA Champions League is officially back, and one of the opening-day fixtures has already delivered the kind of drama European football fans had been waiting for.

Manchester City’s Champions League opener against FC Porto was anything but routine. Erling Haaland played a starring role in securing the three points, finding the net twice, but the Norwegian forward also found himself at the centre of an unexpected social media storm. What should have been a night remembered for his brace was instead overshadowed by two heated confrontations on the pitch, with one particular incident sending the internet into a frenzy.


During the final minutes of the match, Haaland and Porto midfielder Pablo Rosario were involved in a furious exchange. Footage of the confrontation soon began circulating across social media, with some users alleging that Rosario made inappropriate physical contact with Haaland during the incident. The clips sparked a wave of speculation, with some posts going as far as describing the alleged contact as sexual assault.

However, those claims remain social media allegations and should not be treated as established fact. The viral footage has fuelled intense debate among fans, who have been dissecting the confrontation and questioning exactly what happened between the two players.

During the opener between Manchester City and FC Porto on September 8, 2026, City snatched away three points, defeating Porto in a 2-0 victory with Haaland scoring in the 47th and 90th minutes to complete the brace.


But the scoreline barely tells what the confrontations delivered. Before the Haaland-Rosario altercation, the match was already heated as City defender Marc Guehi and Porto defender Gabri Veiga faced each other in an aerial duel.

Guehi caught Veiga in the face during the aerial duel, leaving the player bloodied and requiring medical attention. This infuriated Porto players and staff that Guehi did not actually get a red card for this challenge. After the half-time whistle, the exchange followed in the tunnel, where City new signings Enzo Fernandez got into a verbal exchange with Porto staff, which eventually turned into both the team members pushing each other. The security team and team personnel moved quickly to prevent the situation from escalating.

After Erling Haaland scored his second goal of the night in the 90th minute, Porto was obviously frustrated. Rosario then brought Haaland down with a heavy challenge which angered the Norwegian star. As the world now knows, Haaland is not someone to let go of this challenge; therefore, he confronts Rosario.

Now, as the intense exchange happened between the players, they squared up and grabbed one another’s jersey, which quickly turned into a “wrestling match". The players from both sides rushed immediately, which triggered another brawl. They were finally separated, with the referee showing both of them yellow cards.


But the drama did not end on the pitch. It triggered a massive sexual assault claim.

The internet quickly focused on the footage available from the match, with many claiming that Erling Haaland was inappropriately touched by Pablo Rosario.

The claims were supported by a one-year-old quote by Haaland, which was resurfaced by the users. In the previous face-off between Norway and Italy in 2025, Haaland discussed a physical altercation with defender Gianluca Mancini where he said that Mancini grabbed him in an inappropriate area. The same comment is now being used by the social media users to claim that Haaland claimed Rosario for the same. This resulted in a viral claim that Rosario actually sexually assaulted Haaland. However, it should be noted that the Norwegian star has not made any such claims.

The football fans, mainly the Cityzens, did not let the viral claim die easily. They showed concern to the fan-favourite and called for a proper investigation. One user said, “Seeing people making jokes and laughing about Pablo Rosario sexually assaulting Haaland, and I have to wonder what is wrong with y’all. SA in football is common and too normalised just because they are men. I’m glad Haaland talked about it before when Gianluca Mancini SA’d him.”


Another straightaway post: “So apparently Rosario (Porto player) sexually assaulted Haaland at a football pitch! Absolutely unheard of; that’s why Haaland lashed out like that," not verifying what actually went down.

Others commented about the serious claim, "That's literally SA, but footballtw is disgustingly avoidant about it; many are claiming it as ‘funny moment’” while another asked, "Why do they keep sexually assaulting Haaland during matches?”

For now, the viral sexual assault claim remains unverified, with no statement from Haaland or Rosario confirming that any such incident took place, leaving the footage open to fan interpretation rather than establishing what actually happened.