Manchester City 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Foden Seals Late Victory2 min read

Manchester City took on Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad as they played the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2021 quarter-finals.

The Citizens started out with the stronger side, with key players returning into the squad after their 2-0 win against Leicester over the weekend.

Dortmund on the other hand opted for a younger side as English prospect Jude Bellingham started for Die Schwarzgelben.

It was clear from the get-go that Manchester City enjoyed majority of the possession in the first half. A couple of solid chances from the young German side didn’t faze the four-time Premier League champions.

City made their breakthrough within the 20-minute mark as Kevin De Bruyne slotted a goal within the box after creating the chance on a counter-attack. Emre Can’s mistake cost Dortmund early in the game.

A penalty-scare in the first half-hour rocked BVB players for a few minutes after Rodrigo went down in the box from a set piece. The referee’s initial reaction was to award the penalty to the Sky Blues as he thought Can’s foot connected with Rodri’s head.

Dortmund fans must’ve been relieved after the decision was overturned by VAR. However, this wasn’t the last time the referee made a controversial decision.

Bellingham got a second chance for Dortmund and slotted it behind the net, only for the referee to disallow the goal after Ederson clashed with the young midfielder outside of his own box.  

Manchester City led the game 1-0 by the half-time whistle.

From kick-off, Dortmund were looking for an equaliser and almost got one as Erling Braut Haaland attempted a shot in the opening minutes of the second half.

The Norwegian striker showed his strength and deadly pace by shaking City defender, Ruben Dias, off. The Portuguese centre-half surprisingly looked off-kilter in parts of the game.

Despite the German side’s rigour on the pitch, Manchester City were still the dominant force.

Phil Foden especially shone throughout the second half, with two solid chances past the hour-mark that should have been converted.

Dortmund finally went level in the 84^th minute after a reverse pass by Haaland met the feet of captain Marco Reus, who drilled the ball into the back of the net.

Just when things seemed to have concluded, Manchester City took the lead once again in the dying minutes as Phil Foden curled the ball first-time into BVB’s bottom corner.

The match ended with a narrow 2-1 win for City, who will look to defend their lead in the second-leg next week in Germany.

Source of Image: UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE via Twitter