Champions League – Manchester City overthrows Borussia Dortmund (2-1)

Dortmund came very close to the feat. While it was believed that Manchester City would make short work of the German club, heavily corrected by RB Leipzig in the league last weekend, Pep Guardiola’s men had all the trouble in the world to get rid of the wall yellow. They even ran after the score before turning the tide in the last ten minutes, ten minutes too long for Borussia. As a symbol, it was Erling Haaland, with an improbable gesture, who gave his team victory by forceps, then crucifying his old team (2-1). It allows Manchester City to seize, alone, the head of group G.

Most of the time, the clash between Manchester City and Dortmund did not deliver all its promises. The Germans had come to the Etihad Stadium to (well) defend, when the Citizens ran out of ideas, and probably a little rhythm after the postponement in the Premier League, to wrap up a long gloomy meeting. You should also see the crestfallen face of Pep Guardiola, who did not see much of his team until he woke up, it is true decisive. Erling Haaland, in particular, was initially well muzzled by Mats Hummels and Niklas Süle, and his teammates struggled to find the frame. Faced with these shortcomings, Dortmund began to believe in it more and more.

Haaland in Zlatan mode

The German club was right to put a little boost on the way back from the locker room, against the still apathetic Citizens. There was a first alert signed Marco Reus, poorly paid on a strike (52nd). The German caught up with a long center shot from the head by Jude Bellingham, on a corner badly managed by the Manchester defense (0-1, 56th). This opener wasn’t even against the run of play, in the sense that the Germans played opportunistically until they were rewarded. To react quickly, Guardiola made three changes at once, leaving Haaland on the pitch despite his lackluster performance. Well took it from the Spanish coach.

Because Haaland, even in a match without, is able to get out, between two defenders, an improbable acrobatic recovery, close to kung-fu and which a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic would not deny, to improve a nice cross from the outside of the foot of Joao Cancelo (2-1, 84th). The Norwegian, who logically did not celebrate his sublime goal, is already at 26 achievements in the Champions League, his new garden.

A few minutes earlier, Manchester City had returned to Dortmund thanks to a cannon shot from nowhere from John Stones (1-1, 80th). So it took two feats for the Citizens to claim a second victory on the European stage this season, which still says a lot about the potential of this always scary, and always favorite team. Borussia, who did what they could with their wait-and-see tactics, paid the bill.