Month: April 2021

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Bayern Munich move closer to Bundesliga title as Hansi Flick confirms departure

The announcement by Hansi Flick, seen as the front-runner to take the Germany job after this year’s UEFA Euro, stole the spotlight from Jamal Musiala who led Bayern to a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg.

Bayern Munich carved out a crucial 3-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg to stay on course for a record-extending ninth consecutive league title on Saturday but their victory was eclipsed by coach Hansi Flick’s announcement he will leave at the end of the season.

The 56-year-old, who took over in November 2019 and led the Bavarians to a run of six domestic and international titles in the 2019/2020 season, said he had told the club and team of his wish to depart despite a contract running to 2023.

Earlier, Bayern teenager Jamal Musiala scored twice in the first half to steer them to a nervous win at third-placed Wolfsburg as they moved seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga standings with five matches left to play.

Three days after their Champions League quarter-final elimination by Paris St Germain, the Bavarians made almost certain of their first silverware of the season after RB Leipzig stumbled to a 0-0 draw against Hoffenheim on Friday.

The announcement by Flick, seen as front-runner to take the Germany job after this year’s European Championship, stole the spotlight from Musiala who put Bayern in front after 15 minutes when he weaved past three defenders in the box and fired home.

The 18-year-old Germany midfielder netted another with a looping header in the 37th to make it 3-1 and become the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score six league goals.

Musiala came close to a hat-trick a little later but his effort was cleared off the line.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had doubled Bayern’s lead in the 24th, but Wolfsburg’s top striker Wout Weghorst cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 35th with his 19th goal of the campaign just before Musiala got his secondgoal.

The Wolves pulled another goal back in the 54th thanks to Maximilian Philipp but missed several chances to level through Weghorst and a Jerome Roussillon shot in the 84th minute that flew just wide of Manuel Neuer’s post.

Bayern have 68 points, with RB Leipzig second on 61. Wolfsburg held on to third spot with 54 points despite their defeat after Eintracht Frankfurt’s 4-0 loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach left them a point behind the Wolves in fourth.

The top four finishers automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage.

Last-placed Schalke 04 slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Freiburg that all but sealed their relegation. The Royal Blues are 13 points behind the relegation playoff spot occupied by Hertha Berlin with five games left.

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Chelsea reach final to end Manchester City’s quadruple bid

Manchester City’s quadruple dream has been extinguished by Chelsea after losing 1-0 in the semifinals of the FA Cup.

Manchester City’s quadruple dream has been extinguished by Chelsea. Even more concerning could be the injury to Kevin De Bruyne for the ongoing pursuit of a treble.

Chelsea will be back at Wembley Stadium next month for the FA Cup final after a 1-0 victory over City was clinched by Hakim Ziyech on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola will return even sooner next Sunday with City for the League Cup final but with doubts over whether De Bruyne will be fit to face Tottenham.

“It doesn’t look quite good,” Guardiola said. “But we will see tomorrow.”

The influential Belgian playmaker hobbled off with an apparent ankle injury just as City is entering a crunch period of the season.

A 11-point Premier League lead makes collecting that trophy a near-certainty but there is also a first Champions League semifinal with City for Guardiola against Paris Saint-Germain in what remains the priority title for the club.

“We started the game a little bit slow and struggled a bit in the first half,” City midfielder Fernandinho said.

While Guardiola has been in charge almost five years at City, Thomas Tuchel has only been at Chelsea three months.

After picking up the pieces following the firing of Frank Lampard, the German now has a shot at a trophy in the FA Cup final against Leicester or Southampton next month. And like City, Chelsea remains in Champions League contention with Real Madrid awaiting in the last four.

“All the ways are still open, everybody is excited by it,” Ziyech said. “And we cannot wait to play these games.”

The performance against City will offer Tuchel encouragement of silverware. While Timo Werner struggles for goals, assists are less of a problem. It was his 12th of his first season at Chelsea, setting up Ziyech for the close-range finish in the 55th minute in an unguarded net after American goalkeeper Zack Steffen was left stranded.

“Their goal was indecision on my hands and I’ll learn from it,” Steffen said. “You have to keep going and I’m proud of how the boys fought and didn’t give up. The good thing is there is another game in three or four days so we can’t get too low on this one.”

There were no Chelsea fans to witness the goal in person. But they should be allowed back into Wembley for the May 15 final as coronavirus restrictions are eased.

How to get safely back into venues will be assessed at Wembley on Sunday when up to 4,000 locals from the north London district are allowed in to see Leicester take on Southampton if they can produce a negative coronavirus test result.

SHEFFIELD UNITED RELEGATED

With six games remaining, the Premier League lost its first team on Saturday. Sheffield United experienced the joint-earliest relegation in the competition’s history, alongside Ipswich, Derby and Huddersfield after losing 1-0 to Wolverhampton.

Last season both Wolves and Sheffield United finished in the top half of the standings. Wolves have plummeted to 12th this campaign and Willian Jose’s goal confirmed the end of last-place United’s two-season stay in the top division.

“We are now starting from a better position, financially stronger and with much more experience in the squad,” said Paul Heckingbottom, the interim manager since Chris Wilder’s firing by the club’s Saudi ownership last month. “Everyone will be committed to going straight back up.

“It’s everyone’s careers at stake, personal pride. They have to take control of their own performances. The fight and spirit is there, we have just been short. There has been a lot of hurt in the dressing room for a long time.”

NEWCASTLE EYES SURVIVAL

Newcastle moved nine points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-2 victory over West Ham.

Newcastle led through Issa Diop’s own-goal and Craig Dawson was sent off for receiving a second booking in the buildup. Joelinton’s tap-in extended Newcastle’s lead before halftime but it was wiped out by Diop’s header in the 73rd and Jesse Lingard’s penalty after Ciaran Clark handled.

Newcastle recovered its lead through substitute Joe Willock’s powerful header.

“I’m not going to take anything for granted,” Newcastle manager Steve Bruce said. “I’ve always said it’s the accumulation of points, and 35, in my opinion, is not enough, so you won’t get me jumping and hollering at the moment. We’ve still got six games to play.”

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HARRY KANE SCORES BRACE, LIMPS OFF INJURED IN EVERTON DRAW

Harry Kane showcased exactly why Tottenham are so desperate to keep him as he scored twice in a 2-2 draw at Everton, but an apparent ankle knock sustained in stoppage time will give Spurs serious cause for concern.

Tottenham insist their star man is not for sale at any price despite constant speculation surrounding his future, and it is easy to see why after he scored two clinical goals at Goodison Park.

He opened the scoring in the 27th minute after a defensive error and then, following a Gylfi Sigurdsson double either side of half-time put Everton in front, the England captain earned a point 20 minutes from time.

In doing so he moved two goals in front of Mohamed Salah at the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts, taking his tally to 21 for the season before limping off injured late on.

As he has done so often, he again carried Spurs on what was an overall disappointing showing and their top-four hopes suffered a possible terminal blow, sitting five points behind West Ham having played a game more, as the pressure increases on a forlorn Jose Mourinho.

Everton are a point behind, so this result does not help them much and they will rue squandering the lead and then missing key chances in the second half.

It appeared February’s nine-goal FA Cup thriller had used up all the fun for this fixture as it was a drab opening 25 minutes, where Richarlison’s shot which Hugo Lloris comfortably saved was the only moment that passed as entertainment.

But the game burst into life with two goals in four minutes.

Spurs took the lead with their first foray into Everton’s box as Kane was clinical. Mason Holgate missed Tanguy Ndombele’s cross and Kane controlled and fired into the bottom corner.

Mourinho’s men let another advantage slip thanks to a quickfire response from the hosts.

Sergio Reguilon clattered into the back of James Rodriguez, with Michael Oliver immediately pointing to the spot even though replays suggested Rodriguez kicked the floor and contact was minimal.

Sigurdsson made no mistake from the spot, sending Lloris the wrong way.

Everton gained momentum from their leveller and should have gone in front before half-time.

A brilliant move saw Richarlison play in Rodriguez, but the Colombian’s snapshot was brilliantly saved by Lloris, who also kept out a Richarlison header before the break.

It did not take much for Spurs to improve after half-time and they fashioned good chances in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.

First, Son Heung-min ghosted into the area and shot straight at Jordan Pickford when Kane was begging for a pull-back and, after more great work by Kane to open up play, Ndombele’s effort was deflected over the crossbar.

From the resulting corner, Toby Alderweireld came closest to regaining Spurs’ lead, but his header hit the near post.

But it was Everton who moved in front just after the hour mark with a fine goal.

They again cut Spurs open, working the ball out to Seamus Coleman, who pulled back to Sigurdsson to fire home a brilliant first-time finish into the far corner.

However, they were masters of their own downfall as they allowed Spurs to hit back just six minutes later.

Michael Keane and Holgate collided with each other when trying to clear a cross and the ball fell to the one man they did not want it to and Kane made them pay, lashing home in style from 10 yards out.

Kane almost scored a hat-trick minutes later but his header from Lucas Moura’s cross clipped the outside of the post.

It was Everton who were left with their heads in their hands at the end as they squandered a great chance to win it when Lloris denied Josh King and then Richarlison blazed over an open goal from the rebound.

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CHRIS SMALLING AND FAMILY ROBBED AT GUNPOINT

Roma defender Chris Smalling and his family have been held up at gunpoint inside their home in the Italian capital, according to local media reports.

Smalling, who joined the Italian side permanently from Manchester United last summer, and his family were subjected to the ordeal in the early hours of Friday morning.

Italian media reports that the family were sleeping when armed and hooded men broke into their home and forced the footballer to open a safe. The robbers took Rolex watches, jewellery and other valuables.

Smalling and Roma have not commented but former Manchester United team-mate Marcus Rashford tweeted his support.

Rashford wrote: “Thinking about you [Chris Smalling] and your lovely family. So sorry to wake up to the news this morning. Can’t imagine how you’re feeling but I hope you’re ok.”

Roma coach Paulo Fonseca’s house was broken into last November when he and his family were out. Watches and other valuables were taken.

Lazio forward Joaquin Correa’s house in Rome was also burgled a few days earlier.

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PAUL POGBA CRITICISES FORMER MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO IN CANDID INTERVIEW

Paul Pogba has attacked Jose Mourinho’s man-management style, accusing him of “going against players” and making them feel like “they don’t exist any more”.

Mourinho made Pogba the world’s most expensive player following his 2016 appointment as Manchester United manager.

Pogba was instrumental as United claimed a League Cup and Europa League double in 2017, but the pair had an uneasy relationship before Mourinho was sacked in December 2018 and succeeded by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Mourinho’s relationship with some of his players had deteriorated following that first campaign and there were reports of a training ground spat with Pogba after the France midfielder player was stripped of the United vice-captaincy in September 2018.

“What I have now with Ole is different because he wouldn’t go against the players,” Pogba said in a Sky Sports interview.

“It’s not like you put them on the side and they don’t exist any more. I think that’s the difference between Mourinho and Ole.

“Once I had a great relationship with Mourinho. Everybody sees that and the next day you don’t know what happened.

“That’s the strange thing I had with Mourinho. And I can not explain to you because, even me, I don’t know.”

Pogba’s comments came after United piled the pressure on Mourinho with a 3-1 win at Tottenham last Sunday.

Solskjaer and Mourinho clashed in a heated exchange of words after the United boss was was unhappy when Son Heung-min went down in the build-up to Edinson Cavani’s controversial disallowed opener.

Mourinho said he was left “very disappointed” by Solskjaer’s claims that he would not feed his son if he had behaved like Son, but Pogba accused the Portuguese of using deflection tactics to take the focus away from Tottenham’s performance.

Pogba said: “I am sure Mourinho said something that made people speak. That’s what he does.

“We got the result that we wanted. Ole knows it and we enjoyed that moment.

“We know Mourinho and what he likes. We don’t need this.

“We just focus on us, we won the game, he lost the game, and he doesn’t want to speak about the game.

“He wants to speak about the dad of someone, that’s what he does. Everybody knows it. It’s very Mourinho.”

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MAN UNITED DISPLACE GRANADA TO SET UP EUROPA LEAGUE SEMIS AGAINST ROMA

Edinson Cavani set Manchester United on course for a comfortable victory against Granada as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side reached the Europa League semi-finals for the second successive season.

Marcus Rashford’s fine goal and a late Bruno Fernandes penalty in Spain last week put the Red Devils in control of the quarter-final tie heading into Thursday’s reverse fixture at an empty Old Trafford.

United extinguished any hope of a remarkable Granada turnaround when veteran Cavani volleyed home in the sixth minute, with Jesus Vallejo’s late own goal wrapping up a 2-0 win on the night, 4-0 on aggregate.

The reward is a mouth-watering semi-final clash against Roma and a reunion with Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – starters when United won the Europa League in 2017.

That was the Old Trafford giants’ last trophy and they never looked in danger of being denied a fifth semi-final in two seasons after Cavani volleyed home a smart flick on by Paul Pogba.

The France midfielder captained the side in the absence of Harry Maguire – one of three suspended players – and was withdrawn at the end of a first half in which Granada called for him to receive a second booking.

United continued in the ascendancy after the break and ex-Wolves defender Vallejo turned into his own goal under pressure from substitute Juan Mata at the death as Granada’s remarkable first continental campaign came to an end.

Coach Diego Martinez had spoken on the eve of the game about his belief that the Andalusians could seal a historic Old Trafford triumph, but the “perfect game” required was soon beyond them.

Alex Telles, in for the suspended Luke Shaw, sent over a cross from the left that Pogba smartly headed back towards the penalty spot area, where Cavani expertly steered a left-footed volley into the far corner.

The classy sixth-minute strike all but ended Granada’s faint hopes of progress, yet it did not dent their competitive endeavour.

Yangel Herrera, on loan from Manchester City, headed wide as the LaLiga side looked to hit back immediately, before turning their attention to getting Pogba sent off.

The stand-in skipper showed impressive skill and strength to hold off the visitors when driving forwards, only to inadvertently catch German in the face and earn a 17th-minute booking.

Within minutes former Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado joined him in referee Istvan Kovacs’ notebook as he screamed for Pogba to be handed a second yellow card for a challenge on Herrera.

Pogba got away with that clumsy tackle, both in terms of staying on the field and seeing Herrera head the resulting free-kick wide, but still spoke to the referee during a break in play about the initial yellow card decision.

Fernandes flashed a stunning volley just over from a delightful clipped Nemanja Matic pass as half-time approached.

The Portuguese mishit his next attempt well wide and other half-chances came to nothing before the break, with Donny Van De Beek replacing the booked Pogba when the teams returned.

Mason Greenwood headed straight at Rui Silva after Jorge Molina was denied by David De Gea at the other end, with United still on top as Cavani glanced a header wide before Van De Beek struck just off target.

Cavani was withdrawn in the 60th minute with half an eye on Sunday’s clash with Burnley – perhaps adding to a sense of complacency that De Gea snapped his team-mates out of after German was allowed to fire wide.

United’s changes took the sting out of the game as Solskjaer’s side trundled along in second gear, with De Gea stopping Victor Diaz’s stinging effort and a close-range Herrera attempt.

But this was as comfortable as a European quarter-final could be and Vallejo turned Telles’ cross into his own net as Mata challenged in the 90th minute.

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ARSENAL WHIP SLAVIA PRAGUE TO REACH EUROPA LEAGUE SEMIS

English football club Arsenal thrashed their Czech opponents Slavia Prague 4-0 Thursday to book a place in the UEFA Europa League semifinals.

Arsenal clinched the huge victory in the Europa League quarterfinals second leg in Prague with goals scored by Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe in the 18th minute, French forward Alexandre Lacazette in the 21st and 77th minutes and English midfielder Bukayo Saka in the 24th minute.

Arsenal won 5-1 on aggregate to advance to the semifinal stage as the first leg at its Emirates Stadium in London ended in a 1-1 draw.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed the Slavia Prague match as he has been suffering from malaria.

“Unfortunately, I contracted Malaria whilst being on national team duty in Gabon a few weeks ago. I’ve spent a few days in hospital this week but I’m already feeling much better every day, thanks to the great doctors that detected and treated the virus so quickly,” Aubameyang said on Instagram.

Arsenal will face Spain’s Villarreal in the semifinal.

In the other semifinal, English club Manchester United will take on Italy’s Roma.

The 2021 Europa League final will be played at Poland’s Gdansk Stadium in Gdansk on May 26.

This stadium hosted four games during the UEFA EURO 2012; three group matches and a quarterfinal in the 2012 European football championship co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

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LIVERPOOL EXIT CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WITH ANFIELD BARREN DRAW AGAINST REAL MADRID

Liverpool exited the Champions League with a whimper having failed to properly test Real Madrid in a goalless draw at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side paid the price for a disastrous 45 minutes in the Spanish capital last week as that 3-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat essentially put them out.

They created enough chances to have clawed back the two-goal deficit but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was hardly extended as yet another wasteful performance from their forwards proved costly with 15 attempts producing just four on target.

But this was a controlled, disciplined performance from the 13-time European champions who knew exactly what was required to get the job done.

It is almost two years since that famous semi-final second-leg comeback against Barcelona and it was five years to the day since the rousing Europa League recovery against Borussia Dortmund but aside from goals this tie was missing one crucial factor – fans.

Both were played out against a background of cacophonous noise but with Anfield empty there was no atmosphere to feed off what had been a positive start.

Hundreds of supporters had lined Anfield Road, very few wearing masks or observing social distancing, to greet the teams with a number setting off flares and smoke canisters.

However, a small minority resorted to throwing objects at Real’s coach and one window was smashed, an act Liverpool condemned as “unacceptable and shameful” and apologised for any distress.

It was reminiscent of the 2018 Champions League quarter-final when Manchester City’s bus was attacked with bottles and stones.

There was more distress for the visitors when the match kicked off as Liverpool were a different animal to last week’s anemic first-half performance.

Mohamed Salah squandered arguably their best chance after only three minutes when Sadio Mane, looking rejuvenated after being rested at the weekend, squared for him but on his favoured left foot he shot straight at Courtois.

A curling effort from James Milner, maybe somewhat surprisingly preferred to Thiago Alcantara, was then tipped behind.

One can only imagine what the decibel levels would have been inside Anfield after that start, although it was easy to predict the hearts-in-mouths reaction when Karim Benzema’s deflected shot hit the post with Alisson Becker beaten after Nat Phillips had lost possession 10 yards inside his own half to allow the France international to race forward.

Tempers boiled over when Casemiro, angry at an earlier tackle by Fabinho, slammed Milner into the first row of Klopp’s dugout, leading to minor scuffles and yellow cards for the Real midfielder and Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson.

Undeterred by the visitors’ spoiling tactics Trent Alexander-Arnold flicked a cross to the far post which Mane was agonisingly close to reaching while Salah and Georginio Wijnaldum both shot over when well placed as further chances went to waste.

Attacking an empty Kop Firmino forced Courtois into a save 41 seconds after the restart and whizzed a rising drive just past over the crossbar soon after before Klopp turned to Diogo Jota, his second in-form forward after Salah, and Thiago.

Liverpool’s shape changed to 4-2-3-1 with Salah promoted to central striker to allow the three other forwards to slot in behind him, with centre-back Ozan Kabak sacrificed as Fabinho dropped in from midfield.

Real were barely committing anyone even to counter-attacks but when Vinicius Junior broke down the left it required goalkeeper Alisson to block his run and smother Benzema’s follow-up.

Thiago’s crossfield ball was brilliantly kept alive by Alexander-Arnold only for Firmino’s shot on the turn to rebound off Eder Militao when that vital breakthrough seemed likely.

Benzema should have put the hosts out of their misery but his downward header bounced over but it mattered little as Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League football now rest on overhauling Chelsea and West Ham to get into the top four.

That will prove difficult, however, if they continue to squander chances like this when it comes to the crunch.

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LIVERPOOL APOLOGISE TO REAL MADRID FOR WINDOW SMASH

Liverpool have condemned the smashing of a window in a Real Madrid team coach and apologised for any distress caused.

A club spokesman said the behaviour “of a few individuals” was “totally unacceptable and shameful”.

Hundreds of fans lined Anfield Road, very few wearing masks or observing social distancing, to greet both teams as they arrived for the Champions League quarter-final second leg with a number setting off flares and smoke cannisters.

When one of Real’s buses parked up at the Kop end of the ground after the team had disembarked, it was apparent one pane of a double-glazed window had been smashed and Liverpool staff were seen cleaning up a pile of broken glass on the ground with Merseyside Police officers in attendance.

“We condemn unequivocally the actions that led to Real Madrid’s team bus being damaged during its arrival to Anfield this evening,” said a Liverpool spokesman.

“It is totally unacceptable and shameful behaviour of a few individuals. We sincerely apologise to our visitors for any distress caused.

“We will work together with Merseyside Police to establish the facts and identify those responsible.”

It is not the first time the opposition coach has been damaged in the build-up to a match at Anfield.

Three years ago Manchester City’s bus was hit by bottles and flares, ahead of another Champions League last-eight clash.

It caused so much damage City had to call for a back-up bus to take the players home after their 3-0 defeat that night.

On that occasion UEFA fined the club 20,000 euros (£17,000) for the damage as well as 6,000 euros (£5,200) for setting off fireworks and throwing objects.

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MANCITY REACH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS WITH WIN AT DORTMUND

Manchester City survived an early scare to see off Borussia Dortmund and reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time under Pep Guardiola.

A superb strike from the outstanding Jude Bellingham saw the German side level their quarter-final tie after 15 minutes of the second leg at Signal Iduna Park.

City responded in the second half with a penalty from Riyad Mahrez and a fine effort from Phil Foden to win 2-1 on the night and progress 4-2 on aggregate.

The result ended City’s run of quarter-final frustration having gone out at the last-eight stage in each of the previous three years.

Dortmund, who were aggrieved to have a goal disallowed in the first leg, felt the penalty award for handball against Emre Can was harsh but City, who also hit the woodwork through Kevin De Bruyne, were dominant overall.

Guardiola’s side also did well to keep the highly-rated Erling Haaland quiet although, in England international Bellingham, the hosts certainly possessed another tricky youngster.

It was the 17-year-old who took centre stage early on.

City’s day had begun badly with fireworks being set off outside their hotel by Dortmund fans in the early hours.

Guardiola claimed he “slept like a baby” through the commotion but City were caught out by a positive start from the hosts.

Mahmoud Dahoud had the first serious opportunity with a powerful strike from outside the area and Bellingham then took over, seemingly covering all areas of the pitch in defence and attack.

He was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring after another Dahoud effort was blocked by Ruben Dias.

Bellingham showed great control as he seized on a loose ball and cleverly switched feet to clip a shot into the top corner. Ederson did get his fingers to it but there was no stopping a shot that levelled the tie and gave Dortmund the edge on the away goals rule.

City responded well and went close to an equaliser as De Bruyne rattled the crossbar after winning back possession.

That sparked a wave of City pressure and Mateu Morey got lucky when he diverted a De Bruyne cross towards his own goal and keeper Marwin Hitz reacted quickly enough to block.

Foden then hooked a ball into the box from the byline and Mahrez controlled beautifully before his shot was kept out by the backtracking Bellingham on the line.

Oleksandr Zinchenko then had a header saved by Hitz and De Bruyne dragged an effort wide.

City finally regained control of the tie 10 minutes into the second half after Can was penalised for handball.

The former Liverpool midfielder argued that he had headed the ball onto his arm but the spot-kick award stood after a lengthy VAR review.

Mahrez made no mistake from the spot to equalise on the night and put City ahead on aggregate.

Dortmund did not give up and Mats Hummels headed narrowly over from a Marco Reus free-kick but the hosts became stretched as City kept up the pressure.

De Bruyne sliced a shot wide but was unlucky not to be awarded a free-kick for a foul in the process.

He then went even closer as he skipped around a challenge from Hummels but Hitz produced a fine save.

The decisive goal came from the resulting corner, which was taken short and worked to Foden on the edge of the area.

The 20-year-old took aim and struck a sweet shot which rebounded past Hitz off the inside of the near post.

That did the job for the Premier League leaders, although they were still not finished and Zinchenko tested Hitz with a fierce effort.