Erling Haaland’s astonishing goal for Man City downs old club Borussia Dortmund in Champions League

After 80 minutes of this Champions League game, Haaland had barely had a sight of goal and City were trailing 1-0 to a goal from Jude Bellingham, the England midfielder, who was outstanding in the second half. John Stones brought City level with a scorching shot from outside the box that took everyone by surprise.

Then Joao Cancelo sought out Haaland with a delightful cross, delivered from the left with the outside of his right boot. Fractionally in behind the Dortmund defence, Haaland leapt, contorted his body and somehow reached it with the outside of his left boot, knocking it back across Alexander Meyer and sending the Etihad Stadium into raptures.

Their new signing was billed as the player to make the difference to their fortunes in the Champions League and he proved just that on Wednesday night (Thursday AEST).

After an impeccably observed minute’s silence, Dortmund’s travelling supporters began to make themselves heard and Bellingham attempted to assert himself early. The former Birmingham City prodigy quickly renewed acquaintances with Jack Grealish, his England teammate, bundling the former Aston Villa player over to concede a free kick.

Haaland is not, of course, the only player that City have whisked away from Dortmund. Ilkay Gundogan was Guardiola’s first signing at the club six years ago and has graduated to become their captain this season. A fortnight ago, City bolstered their central defensive ranks by signing Manuel Akanji, the 27-year-old Switzerland international, in whom Guardiola has shown great faith, starting him in both the opening Champions League games.

With Ruben Dias dropping to the bench, Akanji started for the first time on Wednesday alongside Nathan Ake, while John Stones returned at right back and Cancelo switched to the left.

Playing to the right of Emre Can in midfield, Bellingham tested out the new pairing in the first half, bursting from midfield between City’s centre backs in pursuit of a ball from Salih Ozcan, but Ake proved equal to the task, stooping to head neatly back to his goalkeeper, Ederson.

For much of the first half, City controlled possession, without finding the penetration to unleash Haaland against a Dortmund defence inevitably sitting deep. The first sniff of goal for City’s centre forward came after Gundogan had played a lovely ball over the top to release Riyad Mahrez down the right. Mahrez clipped a delicate cross back into the box, where Haaland rose and the Etihad Stadium crowd rose in anticipation with him. Unfortunately, from the home fans’ point of view, the imposing figure of Niklas Sule, all 6ft 5in of him, nipped in with a header to prevent the ball reaching Haaland.

Dortmund previously visited the Etihad in the Champions League quarter-finals in April last year, behind closed doors, when they were undone by a 90th-minute winner from Phil Foden after Marco Reus had equalised Kevin De Bruyne’s opening goal.

City then repeated the 2-1 scoreline in Germany eight days later, Foden again scoring the winner after Bellingham had given the home side the lead with a fine strike from the edge of the box. On both occasions, Haaland was kept relatively quiet.

Only 17 at the time, Bellingham really caught the eye in those games and a big week lies ahead, with England’s last two internationals before the World Cup offering the chance for him to state his case to start alongside Declan Rice in England’s midfield. There has also been talk of interest from Liverpool, which he declined to discuss this week, but we will be hearing plenty of Bellingham in the coming weeks.

As Haaland struggled to get into the game, he began to drop deeper and demonstrate his ability to turn nimbly, for someone of his size, and release other players. Towards the end of the first half, he sent Grealish away down the left. Grealish cut back inside, attempted to curl a shot towards Alexander Meyer’s far post, but saw his effort blocked by a phalanx of yellow shirts.

Dortmund, and Bellingham in particular, emerged looking sharper after the break. In the 56th minute, he put Dortmund in front, adding to the goal he had scored in the victory over Copenhagen last week. From a bouncing ball on the left, Reus hooked a cross cleverly across City’s defence and Bellingham nipped in to glance a header past Ederson. He celebrated joyously in front of Dortmund’s fans, grabbing the badge on his chest, as if to suggest that any transfer talk may be decidedly premature. Guardiola responded immediately with a triple substitution, bringing on Foden, Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez, and it did not take long for Haaland’s first chance to be created.

Running onto a ball over the top from De Bruyne, his angle was tight and he could only find the outside of the near post with his low right-footed shot.

Stung into action, there was a far greater urgency about City by now. A lovely low cross from Foden was turned away by a sliding Mats Hummels with Haaland ready to pounce behind him.

It fell to Stones to bring them back into the game, beating the unsuspecting Meyer with his swerving shot from near the right-hand corner of the penalty box. And then, inevitably, the matter was settled by Haaland.

UEFA Champions League: Group G

Manchester City 2 (Stones 80, Haaland 84)

Borussia Dortmund 1 (Bellingham 56)

– The Times

Originally published as Erling Haaland’s astonishing goal for Man City downs old club Borussia Dortmund in Champions League