Phil Foden steals the show as Guardiola and Manchester City finally break quarter-final curse
Manchester City had to dig deep this season to secure a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side recorded a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday to reach the last four.
The Cityzens were given an early scare when Jude Bellingham gave the home side a 1-0 lead after just 15 minutes, putting the tie at 2-2 on aggregate. Had the game have ended that way, Dortmund would have progressed because of the away goals rule.
However, Manchester City put on a better performance in the second half, with Riyad Mahrez equalising from the penalty spot before Phil Foden won the game with a special long-range strike.
Foden breaks Dortmund hearts
The reaction to Phil Foden’s goal highlighted the relief and ecstasy from Manchester City’s bench. The 20-year-old ran across to hug Guardiola, who reciprocated by firmly embracing the England international.
Shouts of, “Yeah!” from the Manchester City bench reverberated across the empty Signal Iduna Park. This is what reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League means to the Cityzens.
It is fitting that Phil Foden, a young Mancunian, played a huge role in Wednesday's win. He is gradually maturing into one of Europe’s hottest prodigies and he once again showed his quality.
Having netted the winner against Dortmund in the first-leg, Foden was again involved in both goals on Wednesday. It was his cross that hit Emre Can's hand, which led to a penalty that was converted by Riyad Mahrez. The England international netted the winner with a ferocious strike in the 75th minute, ensuring there would be no comeback for the Bundesliga outfit.
Manchester City's quarter-final curse has finally ended
Guardiola won the Champions League twice in his time at Barcelona but the competition hasn’t been kind to him since he left the Blaugrana.
The Spaniard never managed to win the UCL title with Bayern Munich and it has taken five years for him to reach the semi-finals with Manchester City. It’s been an arduous journey but the quarter-final curse has finally been broken.
"I am incredibly happy for this club, for this chairman and for the fans, everyone," Guardiola said after the win as quoted by the BBC. "It is the second time in the semi-finals, so it is not history-making for the club, but we start to build it."
"We were brilliant, except for the first 10 minutes where they were good. I'm incredibly happy to be in the semi-finals, to be one of the best four teams in Europe, to be against big, strong teams. We will try to be good," Guardiola added.
Manchester City will now face PSG in the semi-finals, in what is expected to be a tricky encounter. However, the Cityzens have a rare opportunity to go all the way in Europe. They must take their chances after reaching the last four for just the second time in their history.