Manchester City came from behind to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night.
Dortmund took the lead with just 15 minutes on the clock when Jude Bellingham picked out the top corner with a wonderful strike from the edge of the area.
With Dortmund on away goals, the pattern was set in the game when Edin Terzic’s side sat deep and told Manchester City to come and break them down, and City had a great opportunity to do just that early in the second half.
Advantage CITY!
? 1-1 (2-3)? #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/u0T19kQAMP
– Manchester City (@ManCity) April 14, 2021
Emre Can was considered to have deliberately handled the ball after a long VAR check and Riyad Mahrez stepped up to crush his team level at night and placed them 3-2 overall.
Phil Foden fired a wonderful left-footed shot into the top corner with 15 minutes to give City a 4-2 lead and secure their place in the final four.
These are the highlights of the match out of the way, now to the Dortmund and City players’ ratings …
Marwin Hitz made some great saves | Pool / Getty Images
Marwin Hitz (GK) – 6/10 – Pulled out a fantastic save from Mahrez to keep his side’s lead in the night intact, but should have done better with Foden’s strike.
Mateu Morey (RB) – 6/10 – Started trying to carry his side up the field when they searched for a second but got caught on a couple of occasions when he left his defensive partners exposed.
Manuel Akanji (CB) – 6/10 – Looks solid enough without doing anything particularly spectacular.
Mats Hummels (CB) – 7/10 – The calm head among the Dortmund backline when they saw to dig in and keep their lead at night after going 1-0.
Raphael Guerreiro (LB) – 7/10 – Marauding runs along the left side, Mahrez caused many problems.
Jude Bellingham was superb for Dortmund | Pool / Getty Images
Jude Bellingham (CM) – 8/10 – Great strike to open the score at night and even out the total score. Picked up a yellow card for an absolutely nothing challenge, did not stop running and was absolutely superb.
Mahmoud Dahoud (CM) – 6/10 – Had a decent half-chance early but fired straight at Ederson in the City goal.
Emre Can (CM) – 5/10 – Maybe unfortunate to admit penalty for handball in the second half. Let the game pass him by during much of the competition.
Marco Reus looks to be carrying the ball Pool / Getty Images
Ansgar Knauff (RW) – 5/10 – Some poor distribution along Dortmund to the right that sometimes cost his side.
Erling Haaland (ST) – 7/10 – Good job of keeping the ball up in the build-up to the Dortmund opener. Had John Stones on strings sometimes and the Englishman struggled to cope with his physical.
Marco Reus (LW) – 6/10 – Knitted up play nicely to the left but could not really get in behind Kyle Walker.
81 | Dual switch:
➡️ Brandt⬅️ Bellingham # BVBMCI 1-2 pic.twitter.com/XGUzN5E190
– Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) April 14, 2021
Giovanni Reyna (AM) – 6/10
Thorgan Hazard (RW) – 5/10
Julian Brandt (LW) – 5/10
Steffen Tigges (ST) – 6/10
Oleksandr Zinchenko started as left back for City | Frederic Scheidemann / Getty Images
Ederson (GK) – 6/10 – Absolutely nothing he could do with Bellingham’s opener but looked steady for the rest of the game.
Kyle Walker (RB) – 6/10 – Defended well at night without offering too much going forward.
John Stones (CB) – 6/10 – Basically just the task of giving the ball to midfield when Dortmund had taken an early lead and decided to sit back. Defended well when City had edged forward.
Ruben Dias (CB) – 7/10 – Saw to venture forward a little more than his defensive partner and helped open the game.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (LB) – 5/10 – Possibly got the nod because of his crossing ability, but he failed to show what he can do.
Kevin De Bruyne turns away from Mahmoud Dahoud | Pool / Getty Images
Rodri (CM) – 7/10 – Kept things ticking over and was the key to keeping the ball moving when City were behind.
Ilkay Gundogan (CM) – 7/10 – Sat deeper in midfield than we are used to seeing this season when he tried to pull the strings.
Kevin De Bruyne (AM) – 7/10 – Crashed the crossbar with a fantastic effort shortly after City had fallen behind. Always looked most likely to score a goal when City chased the game.
Phil Foden moves from Jude Bellingham | Pool / Getty Images
Riyad Mahrez (RW) – 6/10 – Made the defensive side of the game brilliant and found himself tracking Raphael Guerreiro all the way back to the City box on a number of occasions.
Bernardo Silva (ST) – 6/10 – The task of dropping deep to connect games in midfield and lead the line. Did a great job with it on the whole.
Phil Foden (LW) – 8/10 – There’s not much more to say about this boy. A constant threat and was an integral part of everything good about the city at night.
CITY SUB | Our first night …
? 1-2 (2-4)? #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/B6fdrwodzG
– Manchester City (@ManCity) April 14, 2021
Raheem Sterling (LW) – N / A
