Phil Foden upstages Erling Haaland to give Man City last-gasp victory

Manchester City's Phil Foden (bottom centre) celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game. Picture: Nick Potts

Man City 2 Borussia Dortmund 1

The pre-match agenda centred on Manchester City’s future interest in Dortmund wonder-striker Erling Haaland, but in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final, it was Pep Guardiola’s young prodigy, Phil Foden, who salvaged a vital last-gasp win.

The England wide man was on hand to convert accurately into the far corner from close range after Ilkay Gundogan had played a brilliant Kevin De Bruyne cross into his path in the final minute of normal time.

Just seven minutes earlier, it appeared that old stager Marco Reus had produced what could prove to be a hammer blow in Guardiola’s attempts to avoid losing at this stage of the tournament yet again.

Three times in the past three years Guardiola has exited the last eight of the tournament he has not won for a decade and, seven minutes from the end of tonight’s Etihad first leg, the veteran Dortmund star grabbed what could still be a crucial away goal.

The equaliser showed Haaland’s game is not just limited to goal scoring as the City target turned a superb pass into the path of his teammate to advance and beat Ederson from a wide angle with a lethal finish.

That cancelled out an opener from De Bruyne which appeared like it might be enough to clinch a vital one-goal advantage for the Blues, despite a host of missed City chances.

But the evening proved Guardiola’s claims that Dortmund would be tougher opponents than their poor Bundesliga form currently suggests and could have been even worse with the impressive visitors having an apparently good first-half equaliser ruled out and Haaland missing his one glorious chance of the night.

The visitors had flattered to deceive over the opening goalless minutes and former Birmingham midfielder Jude Bellingham even had the audacity to force Ederson into an early save after a fantastic pass from Manuel Akanji.

But that was all part of the early apparent City masterplan, the hosts toying with the Germans, waiting for the visitors to make a fatal error — former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can was happy to oblige before the tie had even reached the 20-minute mark.

Can played a poor pass directly to Riyad Mahrez who sent De Bruyne sprinting upfield, the Belgian finding Phil Foden who, in turn, picked out the man who had started the whole move at the far post.

Mahrez looked to have missed his chance to try a shot himself but instead squared selflessly for De Bruyne to force the ball in from four yards. It all looked so inevitable, although what was not was the fact that City were not able to build on that lead.

First, they were awarded a penalty after Can was judged to have kicked Rodri in the head at a set-piece, only for the Romanian referee to change his mind upon review — correctly, it had to be said, with videos showing the City man was guilty of simulation.

But the Premier League leaders would require a fortunate refereeing error before the interval, when Bellingham appeared to beat Ederson fairly to the ball outside the area, as the keeper dithered, and rolled it into the back of the net.

Referee Ovidiu Hategan somehow saw that challenge as a foul and immediately blew his whistle, meaning VAR could not review a call which looked more dubious on every viewing. To add insult to Dortmund injury, the 17-year-old Englishman was also booked for the alleged foul.

Still, City reached the interval with their lead intact although, with Haaland in their ranks, Dortmund were going to offer City concerns as long as the advantage only remained a single goal. And three minutes after the break, the Norwegian international almost converted his only opportiunity.

Mahmoud Dahoud played a simple ball through the middle, Haaland outpaced Ruben Dias, shrugging him aside in the process, and bore down on goal where Ederson saved the day with an impressive block.

It was enough to have Guardiola slapping his hand against his side in frustration and when John Stones brought down Haaland on the edge of the City box soon after there was more anxiety, until Marco Reus struck the free-kick directly into their wall.

Foden might have eased the pressure, with two shots that were saved by Marwin Hitz while De Bruyne’s threatening shot whistled just wide as City faced up to what looked like being a disappointing night until the late drama.

MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Ederson 6; Walker 7, Stones 6, Dias 6, Cancelo 6; Rodri 6, Gundogan 7; Mahrez 7, De Bruyne 8, Foden 9, Silva 6 (Jesus 58, 6).

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-3-3): Hitz 6; Morey 6, Can 5, Hummels 6, Akanji 6; Bellingham 9, Dahoud 6 (Delaney 81), Guerreiro 6; Knauf 7 (Reyna 62, 6), Haaland 7, Reus 8.

Referee: O Hategan (Romania) 4