Man City reaches Champions League semis with 2-1 win at Dortmund

Goals from Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden guided Manchester City to a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, thereby propelling it into the 2020-21 Champions League semifinals.

Published : Apr 15, 2021 03:11 IST

Manchester City players celebrate Riyad Mahrez's penalty goal against Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 Champions League on Wednesday.
Manchester City players celebrate Riyad Mahrez's penalty goal against Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 Champions League on Wednesday.
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Manchester City players celebrate Riyad Mahrez's penalty goal against Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 Champions League on Wednesday.

Manchester City scored twice in the second half through Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday and reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time in six years.

Foden, who scored City's winner in its 2-1 first-leg victory, fired in off the post in the 76th minute after Mahrez had converted a 55th-minute penalty awarded for a handball by Emre Can to secure a 4-2 aggregate triumph.

Dortmund had gone ahead when striker Erling Haaland chased down a deep cross, the ball falling to Jude Bellingham and the teenager curling his shot into the top corner in the 15th minute for his first Champions League goal.

Premier League leader City, eliminated in the quarterfinals of the competition in the previous three years, will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals after the French champion knocked out holder Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

MATCH BLOG |

City manager Pep Guardiola reached his eighth Champions League semifinal as a coach, equalling Jose Mourinho, and his first with the English club.

The Spaniard had made seven changes from Saturday’s team that lost to Leeds United but it was Dortmund which looked fresher and went ahead through a fine strike by English teenager Bellingham who scored his first Bundesliga goal at the weekend.

City, faced with a fourth consecutive quarterfinal exit, upped the tempo and Kevin De Bruyne rattled the post with a 25th-minute shot. Mahrez was denied by Bellingham's clearance as City took control of the game, but the Algerian did better 10 minutes after the restart when he converted his spot-kick.

Dortmund defender Can had also gifted City its opening goal in the first leg with a mistake. The host tried hard to get back into the game and a 69th-minute header from Mats Hummels fizzed narrowly over the bar.

The Germans, however, were opening up more as they looked for the winner that would take the game into extra time and City found the space it needed to strike again. De Bruyne forced a good save from Dortmund keeper Marwin Hitz in the 75th minute before Foden scored with the very next move to settle the tie.

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