Manchester City – Borussia Dortmund 4-1 » Definitive victory of the “citizens” + a new record set by the Haaland robot

The complete schedule of the #4 stage of the Champions League (League Phase)

The Etihad Stadium once again vibrated to the rhythm of the Champions League, on a night in which Manchester City lived up to their coat of arms, giving the more than 50,000 fans present in the stadium a real offensive show.

Dortmund started well, but Foden and Haaland dampened the yellow-blacks' momentum

The start of the game was atypical. Niko Kovac's men crowded the “citizens” into their own half, controlling the game with unbelievable authority. However, lacking inspiration in the final pass, the “yellow and black” failed to threaten Donnarumma's goal in any real way.

What's more, Guardiola's team took advantage of the free spaces created by Borussia's advanced pressing and managed to shake the net of Kobel's goal twice.

Phil Foden opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a superb long-range effort from near the semi-circle of the box, and Erling Haaland doubled the hosts' advantage seven minutes later, scoring against his former side from the penalty spot.

Dortmund's only healthy response in the first act came just before the end, when Karim Adeyemi managed to beat O'Reilly and Doku down the right flank, then cut back towards Donnarumma's goal, but the Italian goalkeeper was on hand to clear the danger. Thus, the “citizens” entered the cabins with a two-goal advantage on the table.

City played with fire in the second act but eventually won on score

At the start of the second act, the hosts were more dangerous, and after two saves by Kobel, the 3-0 goal came. Phil Foden scored again for Guardiola's side, also with a textbook execution, similar to the one in the 22nd minute.

However, after this event, the City people relaxed, and Borussia punished the “citizens”. Waldemar Anton reduced the gap in the 72nd minute, after which Niko Kovac's students had several important chances to score and thus nullify the English advantage.

Gigio Donnarumma's saves kept City alive, however, and a late goal from new signing Cherki kept the three points at the Etihad, with Guardiola's side recording their third Champions League win of the season.

The result saw the Manchester side move up to 10th and 4th in the UCL single group standings, while Dortmund were left with 7 points and dropped to 14th, a position that does not ensure direct qualification for the last 16 of the competition.

Also, today's goal scored by Erling Haaland, even against his former team, made the Norwegian striker the first player in UEFA Champions League history to score in five consecutive games for three different teams.

In addition to Manchester City (October 2025), Haaland has also achieved this feat in both Borussia (March 2021) and Red Bull Salzburg (November 2019).

Erling Haaland is the first player in Champions League history to score in 5 consecutive matches for three different teams // SOURCE: Fabrizio Romano

In the next stage of the Champions League, the “citizens” will receive the visit of another team from the Bundesliga, namely Bayer Leverkusen, while Borussia will face Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park.

Champions League Standings (League Phase):

Manchester City – Borussia Dortmund » Starting teams:

MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma – Nunes, Stones, Gvardiol, O'Reilly – Nico – Savinho, Reijnders, Foden, Doku – Haaland
reserves: Bettinelli, Trafford – Ait Nouri, Ake, Bobb, Cherki, Dias, Khusanov, Lewis, Marmoush, B. Silva
Coach: Pep Guardiola

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (3-4-2-1): Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Nmecha, Sabitzer, Svensson – Adeyemi, Beier – Guirassy
reserves: Meyer, Ostrzinski – Anselmino, Bellingham, Can, Chukwuemeka, Couto, Gross, F. Silva
Coach: Niko Kovac

Stadium: Etihad Stadium (Manchester)
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)