Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points as City come from behind to reach semis | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Manchester City recovered from a goal down to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate to reach their first Champions League semi-final in five years.
A spectacular Jude Bellingham goal in the 15th minute saw Borussia Dortmund open the scoring. In the 15th minute, the English teenager beat Manchester City custodian Ederson with a beautiful curler to become the second-youngest player to score in the competition's knockout stage.
Kevin De Bruyne hit the woodwork. But Borussia Dortmund defended with gusto, thwarting numerous Manchester City attacks, to lead the tie on away goals at the break. However, a reckless mistake by Emre Can inside the penalty box allowed Manchester City to level proceedings and sneak ahead on aggregate.
With the hosts unable to muster a response, Phil Foden put the tie to bed, unleashing a powerful strike from the edge of the box to beat the excellent Marwin Hitz.
Manchester City hung on for the win to reach their first Champions League semi-final in six years, where they'll meet French champions PSG.
On that note, let's take a look at five talking points from the game.
#1 Manchester City display character and resilience
Manchester City expectedly started the game on the front foot, dominating proceedings. But their profligacy meant Borussia Dortmund scored against the run of play to take a surprise lead, which put them ahead on aggregate.
However, Manchester City responded with aplomb, as the likes of Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne began to find the half-spaces between the Borussia Dortmund defence.
In the second half, Manchester City's quality told, as they levelled from the spot and scored a late winner while not allowing Borussia Dortmund a sniff at their goal.
#2 Individual errors cost Borussia Dortmund
The first 45 minutes went exactly how Edin Terzic would've wanted the game to go. Borussia Dortmund went into the second half with a 1-0 lead on the night and ahead on away goals. Manchester City came close to scoring on a few occasions, but Borussia Dortmund limited their illustrious visitors to only one shot on target.
However, the complexion of the game changed when the experienced Emre Can committed a rookie error. Without any pressure on him, Can allowed Oleksandr Zincheko's cross to hit his arm off his head. After a lengthy review, VAR upheld the penalty call, and Riyad Mahrez made no mistake from the spot.
The second Manchester City goal also came via another individual mistake. Goal-scorer Jude Bellingham, who was supposed to mark his compatriot Phil Foden, inexplicably allowed the Manchester City player too much time and space on the edge of the box to score the winner.