Good evening! The Champions League is back and there are a couple of rip-roaring ties to get the quarter final stage underway this evening, including this game between the competition’s favourites Manchester City and the dangerous Borussia Dortmund. I’ll bring you build-up for the next hour before live text commentary from 8pm. It should be a good one.
Champions League / Quarter-final
Etihad Stadium / 06.04.2021
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/match/football-header-bg-mobile.jpg)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/4222.png){kind=logo}
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/4025.png){kind=logo}
- K. De Bruyne(19')
- P. Foden(90')
- M. Reus(84')
Live
Live Updates
:focal(140x151:142x149)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2020/04/28/2811917-58003384-310-310.png)
Updated 06/04/2021 at 20:55 GMT
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/04/06/3024526-62046248-2560-1440.jpg)
Image credit: Getty Images
54'
City are really being stretched here. It’s not just a case of Dortmund hitting them on the break, the visitors are playing some really tidy football when they get the chance, working the ball nicely into the final third and posing plenty of questions. You’d still back City to progress from the tie, but they’re not having it all their own way.
51'
A corner is cleared by City and De Bruyne shows remarkable vision to ping a cross-field pass to Foden. There’s no support up with him though, and when Walker does arrive the Dortmund defence shut down the pass.
49'
Dortmund continue to play quite nicely and are offering a bit of threat to City. They are missing the spark of Sancho in the final third though.
47'
Oh my. Haaland is played in and he simply barges Dias off the ball and only a decent save by Ederson denies him. The striker’s pace and power was on full show there.
2nd Half
45'
The game is back underway at the Etihad. Just a reminder that both Can and Bellingham were booked for those slightly contentious incidents in the first half.
End of 1st Half
HT
The half-time whistle goes to end a fascinating first-half. City lead 1-0 and had a penalty decision overturned by VAR, while Dortmund will feel aggrieved that Bellingham’s ‘goal’ was chalked off by the ref in a manner that meant video technology couldn’t even get involved. See you in 15!
45'
Silva lays it back to Mahrez on the edge of the box, but his shot is poor and takes a touch to trickle through to the keeper.
44'
The game temporarily opens up as Haaland picks the ball up in the box but can’t find space for a shot, and the only a crucial deflection on a De Bruyne pass stops City from opening up the visitors on the counter.
40'
Foden gets in behind and stings the palms of the keeper with a shot from an angle, but the flag was up.
38'
Not wanting to go old school, but if that’s a foul then the game’s gone. Bellingham toe-poked the ball away from Ederson, his boot wasn’t high, and he didn’t make contact with the City keeper. It should be 1-1.
38'
Bellingham has the ball in the net after robbing possession off Ederson, but the referee blows up for a foul on the City keeper just before the ball crosses the line into an unguarded net. I’m not sure about that at all, very soft for me, but because the referee blew up it can't be looked at by VAR. A big let-off for City.
36'
A deflection from Foden’s deep free-kick very nearly flies into the Dortmund net, but fortunately for the visitors it is close enough to the keeper for him to react in time and make the save.
34'
City have stepped it up a gear since that penalty decision was overturned, and are pinging the ball around really nice now. They look much more like their usual selves.
31'
The signal from the referee isn’t massively clear, but that decision has been overturned. Whether the yellow card for Can has been cancelled out too remains to be seen. But it’s no penalty to City, that’s the key thing for now.
29'
This looks harsh. Can’s boot wasn’t even that high, it was more a case of Rodri’s head being low, and replays suggest there wasn’t contact between the boot and face, not even close actually. This should be overturned.
29'
PENALTY! Can swings his boot high and catches the head of Rodri (at least that’s the referee’s judgement). We’ll see what VAR says about this.
26'
City must be such a nightmare to play against, rotating positions constantly in those attacking midfield areas. One second it’s De Bruyne as the false nine, then it’s Gundogan, then it’s Silva.