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Manchester City were dominant against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Quarter final stage of this year’s Champions League. Kevin de Bruyne opened the scoring for City in the first half. Marco Reus then restored parity for the German side in the 84th minute. But it was City who had the last laugh as their prodigious talent Phil Foden found the back of the net in the last minute of regulation time.
Playing at home in the Emirates Stadium, Manchester City needed a last gasp winner from Phil Foden to take the edge in the Quarter Final contest against Borussia Dortmund.
An error from Emre Can resulted in City opening the floodgates as Kevin de Bruyne put away Riyad Mahrez’s cross past the goalkeeper to put the home side 1-0 ahead inside the first 20 minutes of the game.
Can was in the spotlight again as the referee pointed to the spot after an ex-Liverpool player had fouled Rodri in the box. VAR came to his rescue as a handball had occurred before the foul, and therefore, the decision was overturned.
Borussia Dortmund looked to have pegged a goal back when Jude Bellingham cleverly took the ball off City keeper Ederson to slot it into the back of an empty net. However, the referee ruled the goal out as infringement from the 17-year-old on the City goalkeeper.
Coming back from half-time, the onus was on Borussia Dortmund to find a breakthrough as they had been second best to Manchester City all night. Pep Guardiola’s side hadn’t conceded a goal in the Champions League for 706 minutes, and that streak looked set to continue when Ederson came to City’s rescue early in the second half to deny Erling Haaland a chance at goal.
Dortmund found their redemption when captain Marco Reus finished off a wonderful buildup from the side. Mahmoud Dahoud was especially impressive in the movement when he avoided the pressure in his box with much grace and composure, beat the City players, and played an eye of the needle pass to split the defence.
However, Phil Foden put away Ilkay Gundogan’s pass very cleverly and gave his side the advantage in the very last moment of the first leg. City will take a 2-1 lead to Dortmund in the second leg, and Guardiola’s side will look to extend their aggregate advantage.
Key Players
De Bruyne has been among the best midfielders in the world for the last few seasons and was even awarded the Premier League Player of the Year in the 2019/20 season. His output in front of the goal is unmatched. De Bruyne has scored five goals and has assisted 11 times in the league this season. He also opened the scoring for Manchester City in the first leg and is expected to be at the top of his game in the return leg away at Dortmund.
Gundogan is having a fantastic year and a fantastic season. The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder is going through a wonderful purple patch and has consistently gotten in good goalscoring positions in the box. Gundogan has scored 12 goals in the Premier League for City this season, an incredible output for a midfielder. He also assisted Foden’s last-minute goal in the first leg against his former side.
Haaland is the hottest property in the market right now. The young Borussia Dortmund striker is among the most lethal and ruthless strikers in the world at the moment. The Norwegian has found the back of the net 21 times this season and has also assisted six goals. Haaland’s strength, pace, technique and power gives him an insurmountable advantage against defenders, and he’d want to make the best use of it against the likes of Ruben Dias and John Stones. Haaland is also being touted as a possible replacement for City veteran Sergio Aguero who’s leaving the club this year. Regardless of what happens, he’d want to put on a show and try to stage a comeback for Borussia Dortmund.
Reus has been a loyal servant to Borussia Dortmund for several years. He continued to be effective and clinical in front of the goal and scored the important equaliser against City in the first leg. He has scored four goals in Bundesliga so far this season and has also set up seven goals for his teammates to score.
Prediction
Manchester City are the clear favourites going into the second leg at Dortmund. Not only does Pep Guardiola’s side have better resources available, but they have also mounted a strong domestic campaign so far. City are 11 points clear on top of the Premier League table and despite the recent hiccup against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, they have been extremely consistent this season.
Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, have had an erratic showing in the Bundesliga. They are fifth in the table and have often been careless in big games. Most of their hopes rely on the shoulders of Erling Haaland, and if he can breach through the City defence, it will be game on for the German side.
