Manchester : Manchester City secured a last-gasp victory against Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday(7 April), courtesy a late goal from Phil Foden.
Man City’s first goal came from a poor giveaway in midfield as Kevin De Bruyne redirected Riyad Mahrez’s cross past Marwin Hitz in the Dortmund goal to give his side the lead just before 20 minutes mark. Can’s night continued to be rocky when he was whistled for a penalty on Rodrigo, but a VAR check ruled it out, showing a handball before his foul.
Dortmund almost equalised the scoreline before half-time when Jude Bellingham dispossessed Man City keeper Ederson and tapped into an empty net, but the referee controversially whistled the 17-year-old for a foul on the play and Pep Guardiola’s team was able to walk into the second half with a one-goal lead.
The visitors had a tough time to break their way into the game, but Ederson came to City’s rescue early in the second half, saving a shot from Erling Haaland with an outstretched foot. Dortmund were able to keeo the deficit to just a single goal, but they equalised when Marco Reus finished off a complete team play with a strike past the City goalkeeper to give his team an important away goal advantage.
However, the scoreline changed when Foden scored a goal from an Ilkay Gundogan assist just before full-time to give Man City the win and a slight advantage over Dortmund for the return leg which is to be played on April 15 in Germany with a spot in the Champions League semifinals up for grab.
“When you win 26 games in 27 and they are not winning the Bundesliga, the pressure is on our shoulders,” Guardiola said after the match.
“Everything is guaranteed for us. Everybody believed we would win.We had an incredible commitment and desire to go through.”
“I asked the players to win the game. We did it and now we go to Dortmund not to defend,” he added. “We’ll adjust our pressing, adjust our buildup and play 90 minutes to try and reach the semifinal.”
“Phil was brilliant in his aggression in the last 30 minutes, he was our threat,” Guardiola addressing Foden’s performance.
“Second half, he played really well, and one against one arriving in the final third, he had two, three chances to score and finally did.”
