Match Review: City vs. Dortmund

Champions Manchester City looked set for their second straight defeat in the competition when they trailed 1-0 to Dortmund late in the game at the Etihad Stadium. Despite a late penalty from Mario Balotelli it is argued that the home side were played off their own pitch by the champions of Germany.


The away side straight from the off forced City in a quick passing game as every time one of the City players received the ball in the middle of the park one of the Dortmund players were almost like a shadow closing them down. Yaya Toure, usually the catalyst of everything City do going forward and back was anonymous in last nights home encounter. 

Disaster struck in the first half as new City recruit Javi Garcia went down and was forced off the pitch with what seemed a quad strain. The Spaniard was then replaced by young Englishman Jack Rodwell to partner Yaya Toure in the midfield, but this was the least of City's concerns with Mario Gotze and ex Dortmund youth player Marco Reus causing the City defense all sorts of problems on either flank. 

Both Vincent Kompany and Matija Nastasic had their hands full with Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski. Chance after chance was occurring at both ends of the field with both sides causing the keepers to earn their keep. Dortmund arguably were the stronger of the two teams and posed more of a threat going forward than City. City's defense at time seemed to be getting abused by the German attack, whilst their defence remained solid for large periods of the first half. 

City finally broke through the German threshold in the final minute of the first half when a fantastic run from Argentinian forward Sergio Aguero majestically danced through the defense before laying the ball onto his compatriot Pablo Zabaleta. The right back dinked a beautiful ball over the top of the Dortmund keeper before David Silva somehow managed to miss fire a shot over the open goal. Both sides went into the half time break level.

The start of the second half was pretty much the same with the probable highlight being the insane crowd of three-and-a-half-thousand Dortmund fans out singing the forty thousand City fans. Finally the game burst into life when a misplaced pass by substitute Jack Rodwell found the feet of Usain Bolt like, Marco Reus who burst past the City defense to finally beat Joe Hart in the City net. This is now the third goal Rodwell has cost City in his short career with the Blues since the Summer time. 

No change occurred in the play with Samir Nasri already been taken off for Kolarov down the left hand side, and Gael Clichy coming off for Mario Balotelli. City attacked with numerous corners being easily cleared by the German side until finally a ball came in from Kolarov. A poor defensive header from the Dortmund defense resulted in Aguero aiming to snap a left footed shot back across goal before being stopped in the process by Neven Subotic' hand. The referee pointed to the spot. Penalty for City. 

Goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller told Balotelli, the City spot kick taker, what he thought of him. An unfazed Balotelli stepped up before slotting the ball to the keepers left hand side before running to collect the ball and telling Weidenfeller to shut his mouth. The game died out and ended in a score draw. A result pre-match the home side wouldn't have been happy with, and a game the away side wouldn't have been happy with post match.