It was meant to be a turning point for Manchester City in the FA Cup final — a golden opportunity to level the score.

But what unfolded instead had fans online talking, laughing, and pointing fingers — all because of Erling Haaland’s curious kiss before a missed penalty.

City Chasing an Equaliser at Wembley

Trailing 1-0 to Crystal Palace at Wembley, City were handed a lifeline when Bernardo Silva was fouled in the box and won a penalty.

With the pressure mounting, it looked as if Erling Haaland was stepping up to take the crucial shot.

He even kissed the ball like a man about to write his name into FA Cup folklore.

But in an unexpected twist, Haaland handed the ball off to teammate Omar Marmoush instead — the kiss, it seemed, wasn’t a ritual for his own moment of glory but a sign of encouragement for his teammate.

A Kiss That Sparked Jokes and Jabs

Sadly for City, Marmoush’s penalty was saved by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

The Egyptian striker looked crushed after the miss, and Haaland was the first to put an arm around him. Still, social media wasn’t feeling so empathetic.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) had a field day. One joked, “Haaland kissed the ball — that was a kiss of death.”

Another called it “the cheese touch,” referencing the kids’ movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Even football personality Troopz weighed in, tweeting, “Haaland with the kiss of death lol madting.”

A Controversial Call Adds to the Chaos

To add fuel to the fire, Palace keeper Dean Henderson was lucky to even still be on the pitch.

Earlier in the match, he had blatantly handled the ball outside his area — a move that usually spells trouble for a goalkeeper.

Referee Stuart Attwell missed the incident, and even after VAR had a look, it was decided that Henderson wouldn’t face a red card, despite clear arguments that he had denied Haaland a scoring opportunity.

Palace’s Big Moment Sealed by Eze

All this drama followed a brilliant opening goal by Eberechi Eze in the 16th minute — a goal that ultimately sealed Palace’s victory.

The 1-0 scoreline didn’t change, and with that, Crystal Palace booked themselves a ticket to next season’s UEFA Europa League.

Penalty Records Raise Eyebrows

Interestingly, the choice to let Marmoush take the penalty raised questions.

The former Bundesliga striker had never taken a penalty for City before.

While his previous record — eight out of nine penalties scored for Wolfsburg, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt — wasn’t bad, Haaland’s own record is on another level: 49 successful spot-kicks out of 57.

Considering that stat, fans were left wondering why City’s star striker gave up the shot in such a high-pressure moment.