Manchester City are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League for only the second time after sealing victory over Borussia Dortmund in the last eight courtesy of comeback win in Germany.
Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, City found themselves needing to chase the tie when 17-year-old England international Jude Bellingham curled in a superb shot from the edge of the box.
Stung by the concession, the visitors threw everything they could muster at the German side, with Kevin de Bruyne smashing an effort off the bar before Mahrez saw a shot blocked on the line by the brilliant Bellingham.
The crucial breakthrough for City came early in the second half as Emre Can was penalised for handling in the box and Mahrez stepped up to fire his side ahead again in the tie.
Phil Foden sealed it, adding to the late goal he scored at the Etihad to give his side their first-leg lead with a fierce drive that found the Dortmund goal via the post.
City will face Paris St-Germain in the semi-finals, with the French side having eliminated holders Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
It is the first time City have reached the semis under current boss Pep Guardiola, who twice won the competition during his time as manager of Barcelona.
Their previous appearance in the last four came in 2015-16, when they were knocked out by Monaco in Manuel Pellegrini’s final season in charge.
A big hurdle cleared by Guardiola’s City
With record-breaking Premier League titles and domestic cups aplenty to their name, City have conquered the English game under Guardiola. Another league crown is incoming and could well be garnished by a couple of domestic cups.
But European glory continues to elude them.
In the build-up to Wednesday’s second leg, the Spanish manager hinted at the Champions League aspirations that partly motivated his appointment, admitting that he will be seen as a failure if he fails to deliver the prize to the Etihad during his time at the club.
Wednesday’s result represents a pivotal moment in achieving that, with the psychological hurdle of getting past the quarter-finals cleared.
The manner of their second-leg win – devoid of panic, even after falling behind, and trusting in a process that ultimately saw them sweep aside a tricky opponent – puts them in even greater stead.
They may not be fielding a recognised striker in their biggest games at the moment, but in De Bruyne, Foden, Mahrez and Bernardo Silva they have a front four with the intelligence, skill and movement to pick apart any side on the continent.
Foden added once again to his rapidly growing reputation, but the real standout was De Bruyne, who largely ran the show and was denied one of the great Champions League goals when Marwin Hitz tipped aside his low shot after the Belgian had weaved his way past a series of challenges and into the box.
Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mauricio Pochettino and co await in a potentially stellar last-four tie.
More to follow.
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Borussia Dortmund
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Squad number35Player nameHitz
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Squad number2Player nameMorey
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Squad number16Player nameAkanji
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Squad number15Player nameHummels
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Squad number13Player nameRaphael Guerreiro
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Squad number22Player nameBellingham
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Squad number23Player nameCan
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Squad number8Player nameDahoud
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Squad number36Player nameKnauff
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Squad number9Player nameHaaland
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Squad number11Player nameReus
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Squad number10Player nameT Hazard
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Squad number19Player nameBrandt
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Squad number27Player nameTigges
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Squad number32Player nameReyna
Manchester City
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Squad number7Player nameSterling
Line-ups
B Dortmund
Formation 4-3-3
- 35Hitz
- 2MoreySubstituted forTiggesat 81′minutes
- 16Akanji
- 15Hummels
- 13Guerreiro
- 22BellinghamBooked at 39minsSubstituted forBrandtat 81′minutes
- 23Can
- 8DahoudSubstituted forT Hazardat 76′minutes
- 36KnauffSubstituted forReynaat 68′minutes
- 9Haaland
- 11Reus
Substitutes
- 1Bürki
- 10T Hazard
- 14Schulz
- 19Brandt
- 20Carvalho
- 24Meunier
- 26Piszczek
- 27Tigges
- 30Passlack
- 32Reyna
- 37Raschl
- 40Drljaca
Man City
Formation 4-3-3
- 31Ederson
- 2Walker
- 5Stones
- 3Rúben Dias
- 11Zinchenko
- 20Bernardo Silva
- 16Rodri
- 8Gündogan
- 26MahrezSubstituted forSterlingat 88′minutes
- 17De Bruyne
- 47Foden
Substitutes
- 6Aké
- 7Sterling
- 9Gabriel Jesus
- 13Steffen
- 14Laporte
- 21Torres
- 22Mendy
- 25Fernandinho
- 27Cancelo
- 50García
- 85Trafford
- Referee:
- Carlos del Cerro Grande
Live Text
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Match ends, Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 2.
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Second Half ends, Borussia Dortmund 1, Manchester City 2.
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Foul by Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City).
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Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt missed. Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Thorgan Hazard.
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Substitution, Manchester City. Raheem Sterling replaces Riyad Mahrez.
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Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Manuel Akanji.
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Corner, Borussia Dortmund. Conceded by Rúben Dias.
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Phil Foden (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Dortmund).
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Offside, Manchester City. Riyad Mahrez tries a through ball, but Kyle Walker is caught offside.
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Attempt saved. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Bernardo Silva.
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Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Steffen Tigges replaces Mateu Morey.
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Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Julian Brandt replaces Jude Bellingham.
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Attempt missed. Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Emre Can.
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Foul by Rúben Dias (Manchester City).
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Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City).
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Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Offside, Borussia Dortmund. Manuel Akanji tries a through ball, but Thorgan Hazard is caught offside.