Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 2 (UEFA Champions League, Manchester City win 4-2 on aggregate)
Phil Foden had the final word again for Manchester City after his late strike helped them beat Borussia Dortmund again after Jude Bellingham had given the Germans the lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor all the talk of Erling Haaland going to Manchester – he is now 582 minutes without a goal – it was Borussia Dortmund’s other highly rated starlet who caught the eye on the night before Foden won it for City.
Having had a goal ruled out in the first leg in Manchester Jude Bellingham scored after 15 minutes to change the complexion of the tie.
Dortmund had been struggling to qualify for the Champions League next season but against City they were cast in the role of underdogs and after they grabbed the early goal they had something to defend.
And defend they did, giving away very little and relying on Bellingham to clear a Riyad Mahrez shot off the line while Kevin De Bruyne hit the woodwork with City possibly still feeling the after-effects of the Leeds defeat.
After City got some luck to get Bellingham’s goal in the first leg ruled out they were relieved again after 56 minutes when Mahrez tucked home a spot kick after Emre Can was adjudged to have handled the ball and VAR decided not to rule it out after replays showed it hit his head before going onto his outstretched arm.
De Bruyne went close but it was another young English talent – Phil Foden – who settled the tie – adding a 75th minute winner to his last minute strike against the Germans in the first leg.
Foden raced over to his manager and mentor Pep Guardiola after scoring the goal that killed off the tie and earned City an eighth successive win over a German sides and only their second Champions League semi final – against Paris St Germain.
And it meant a 16th away win in a row for City who also enjoyed the rare treat of coming from behind to win a game as Pep Guardiola reached his eighth Champions League semi final – a record to share with Jose Mourinho.
City boss Pep Guardiola was delighted with the win, saying: “I’m incredibly happy for this club, our chairman, the players, and the fans.
“This competition is nice but also unfair, if we get knocked out it’s a disaster.
He also recognised the role that luck had played in both legs of the tie, adding:
“Today it was a penalty with a hand, it might not have been given.”
Guardiola who was pictured vociferously celebrating with match winner Phil Foden after he put City into the lead, revealed that after Foden found him he said: “Well done, good shot, good goal.”
Which was quite an understatement for the Catalan who went on to play down City’s Quadruple hopes.
“We’re in the Semi Finals of the Champions League, we can’t expect less than tough [opposition]. Chelsea are there too.
“For the second time in our history we are there with the elite of Europe.
“But tonight I want to celebrate – dinner with the staff and the team and then come home.”
There were no tactical curveballs for Manchester City after their early morning alarm call courtesy of two fireworks incidents outside their team hotel that will have disrupted the sleep of the team.
Guardiola made seven changes to the side that lost at home to Leeds United on Saturday as he reverted back to the false nine formation that has taken City to the top of the Premier League this year.
In came Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, and Phil Foden.
Joao Cancelo headed the list of players to drop out of the side. The Portuguese full back was joined on the bench by Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy, Fernandinho, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling, and Gabriel Jesus.
It meant that City fielded virtually the same side that faced Dortmund in Manchester last week – with Oleksandr Zinchenko replacing Cancelo, who was on a booking and was in danger of missing a possible semi final, while the Germans were unchanged from that game.
Ex-City youth product Jadon Sancho missed out again through injury but the Germans were again able to name Marco Reus and Mats Hummels in the side while talented teenager Jude Bellingham was handed another start.
Mahmoud Dahoud went close after 7 minutes when his effort was saved by Ederson.
And Bellingham rifled his first Champions League goal in past the grasp of Ederson after an initial shot by Dahoud was blocked and the rebound fell kindly for the English youngster.
At 17 years and 289 days Bellingham became the second youngest player to score in a UEFA Champions League knockout game – after Bojan who scored for Barcelona against Schalke in April 2008 (aged 17 years, 217 days) – he was also the youngest Englishman to score a goal in the Champions League.
The tide had turned after just 15 minutes and City were on the way out of the tie – such was the power of the shot the ball was deflated and had to be replaced less than 4 minutes later.
Manuel Akanji had a header saved while Mahrez saw a shot blocked before Walker skied a shot high and wide.
Kevin De Bruyne saw a shot rattle the underside of the crossbar after winning the ball back just outside the Dortmund area after 25 minutes with City posing questions to the Dortmund defence.
Bellingham was back in his defence helping out when Mahrez shot low but was denied by the youngster with a clearance off the line after an improvised ball over Foden’s shoulder kept it in play.
Zinchenko’s header was collected by Marwin Hitz as City kept going with De Bruyne also sending a shot wide.
But City could not get through the yellow wall of shirts as they failed get more than a single shot on target.
De Bruyne was blatantly pulled back by Mateu Morey at the start of the second half while Zinchenko had a lob tipped over by Hitz.
City overhaul Jude Bellingham goal to beat Borussia Dortmund with late Phil Foden winner
After 52 minutes City were awarded a penalty after Emre Can was adjudged to have handled the ball from a cross by Foden – VAR had a long look and may have cleared him after the ball appeared to come off his head first but it stood.
Mahrez was eventually up for the spot kick and blasted the ball past Hitz and into the right side of the goal beyond the grasp of the keeper for his 11th goal of the season and his first in the Champions League for 14 games since September 2019 against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Reus bundled over De Bruyne in the penalty area but there was only a corner given, and Hitz got away with it as a looping city header came in and he appeared to palm it over the bar only for a goal kick to be given.
Dahoud had a shot blocked by Rodri moments later as Dortmund had to commit to attacking.
Dortmund’s first change came after 68 minutes when Giovani Reyna came on to replace Ansgar Knauff and Hummels headed a Reus free kick onto the top of the net.
De Bruyne’s low shot was saved by Hitz after the Belgian had cut inside from the left defeating some tired defending.
But it was Foden to the rescue again a minute later after his thunderous strike from the resulting corner escaped Hitz and went in off the post for his 13th goal of the season.
Foden became only the second player aged under 21 to score in both legs of a UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie, after Kylian Mbappe in 2016/17 against Dortmund.
The game as up as Dortmund needed three more goals to go through, and Zinchenko had a late strike saved by Hitz as tired legs began to be compounded with tired minds for the Germans.
And Dortmund managed to escape a wonder goal on the break when De Bruyne found Foden who had plenty of time to run into the empty space in front of Hitz’s goal but chose to pass into traffic with Mahrez eventually running the ball out of play.
And the victory meant that City’s quadruple dream stayed alive with the next milestone being Chelsea at the weekend.
GOALS – Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 2 (UEFA Champions League, Manchester City win 4-2 on aggregate)
Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 0: 15. Jude Bellingham rifled the loose ball past Ederson who got a hand to his fierce shot but couldn’t keep it out of the net after Mahmoud Dahoud’s shot was blocked.
Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 1: 56. Riyad Mahrez blasted home from the penalty spot into the right side of the goal beyond the reach of Marwen Hitz after a lengthy VAR check determined that Emre Can had handled the ball with an outstretched arm from Phil Foden’s cross.
Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 2: 75. Phil Foden’s thundering strike from a City corner routine by Bernardo Silva went in off the post after Marwen Hitz got his fingers to it but couldn’t keep it out.
MATCH STATS – Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 2 (UEFA Champions League, Manchester City win 4-2 on aggregate)
Borussia Dortmund: Hitz, Morey (Tigges 81), Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro, Bellingham (Brandt 81), Can, Dahoud (Thorgan Hazard 75), Knauff (Reyna 68), Haaland, Reus
Borussia Dortmund subs not used: Burki, Schulz, Carvalho, Meunier, Piszcek, Passlack, Raschl, Drljaca
Booked: Bellingham 40 (push on Phil Foden)
Goal: Bellingham 15
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne (C), Mahrez (Sterling 88), Foden, Bernardo Silva
Man City subs not used: Steffen, Trafford, Ake, Laporte, Mendy, Fernandinho, Cancelo, Jesus, Torres, Garcia
Goals: Mahrez 56; Foden 75
Referee: Carlos de Cerro Grande