Haaland Torments Former Club as Man City Star Delivers Masterclass Against Borussia Dortmund

Erling Haaland maintained his remarkable scoring form as he netted against his previous team in Manchester City's commanding 4–1 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Phil Foden's precise effort had already set the stage for Haaland to torment his former employers, with the prolific striker powering home City's second goal on the half-hour mark to secure a commanding advantage at halftime.

Foden delivered another exquisite finish following the interval to seal the victory, with Waldemar Anton's close-range strike serving merely as a consolation for the visiting Dortmund side. Rayan Cherki even managed to reestablish City's three-goal margin during injury time to complete a dominant performance.

This outcome propels City to fourth position in the Champions League standings and significantly enhances morale ahead of this weekend's crucial Premier League encounter against Liverpool.

Man City Player Ratings (4-1-4-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—8.0: Rarely challenged during the opening period, but successfully repelled Karim Adeyemi's low attempt to preserve City's two-goal advantage. More active following the break and again responded excellently to thwart Serhou Guirassy and Carney Chukwuemeka.

RB: Matheus Nunes—6.7: Seldom pressured by Svensson or Maximilian Beier, with the City fullback spending more time in attacking areas than defensive ones.

CB: John Stones—7.0: Similar to Nunes, the England defender experienced a relatively peaceful evening defensively. Called into action more frequently in the final stages and delivered one superb block to stop Adeyemi.

CB: Joško Gvardiol—7.1: Successfully contained Guirassy alongside Stones, though will be frustrated by conceding his clean sheet during a flurry of late Dortmund opportunities.

LB: Nico O'Reilly—7.0: Remarkably advanced throughout as his driving runs from left-back generated numerical advantages in the penalty box. He nearly scored for a consecutive match during the first half as well.

DM: Nico González—7.8: Protected the defensive line admirably with Rodri rested, regaining possession in midfield and distributing the ball efficiently. Enabled City's more inventive players to excel.

RM: Savinho—7.5: Terrorized Daniel Svensson from kickoff, forcing the wingback into an early booking and repeatedly charging at the Swedish defender at maximum pace thereafter. An encouraging showing from the Brazilian.

CM: Tijjani Reijnders—8.6: Possesses a sublime first touch that was regularly displayed at the Etihad as he glided through midfield. Set up Foden for City's first and third goals with clever passes, delivering a performance reminiscent of his early-season form.

CM: Phil Foden—9.2: Caused chaos as he exploited the gap between Dortmund's midfield and defense. Netted his 10th and 11th goals from beyond the penalty area since the start of the 2023–24 campaign as he completely dismantled City's German opponents.

LM: Jérémy Doku—8.1: Characteristically explosive along City's left flank as he consistently beat Julian Ryerson. Located Haaland for City's second after skillfully reaching the goal line and remained a persistent threat to Dortmund's defense. A remarkable display.

ST: Erling Haaland—8.3: Given the captain's armband and demonstrated leadership. Nearly provided an assist in the opening half as he bulldozed through Dortmund defenders and found Nico O'Reilly, before subsequently smashing home another goal.

Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Abdukodir Khusanov, Nathan Aké, Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb.

Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Gregor Kobel; Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Ramy Bensebaini; Julian Ryerson, Marcel Sabitzer, Felix Nmecha, Daniel Svensson; Karim Adeyemi, Maximilian Beier; Serhou Guirassy.

Subs used: Carney Chukwuemeka, Jobe Bellingham, Emre Can, Pascal Groß, Fábio Silva.

Player of the Match: Phil Foden

Man City 4–1 Borussia Dortmund—How It Developed at the Etihad Stadium

Haaland's meeting with Dortmund captured the spotlight before Wednesday's match, but it was Foden who struck the opening blow in Manchester. The midfielder had already challenged Gregor Kobel before smoothly placing his 20-yard effort into the Swiss keeper's bottom corner.

City's breakthrough sparked momentum and, predictably, Haaland soon added his typical goal to virtually settle the match after just thirty minutes. Brilliant work from Jérémy Doku created the chance for the unstoppable Norwegian, who blasted past Kobel to register his 27th goal of the season for club and country.

The two-goal lead enabled City to play with confidence reminiscent of their finest teams under Pep Guardiola. Goals seemed certain with every attacking move as they carved through their opponents, with Tijjani Reijnders coming nearest to a third before halftime as he tested Kobel's hands.

Adeyemi had looked to narrow the gap before halftime as he compelled Gianluigi Donnarumma into a sharp save, but normal service continued after the restart. City maintained their dominance as Doku and Savinho grew increasingly influential on the flanks, with the latter forcing an excellent save from Kobel.

City finally secured a third just before the hour as the brilliant Foden curved another gorgeous strike into the bottom corner. Almost identical to his opening goal, the Englishman bent his shot past Kobel to emphasize City's dominance, with Dortmund appeals for a foul in the buildup ultimately ignored.

Guirassy and Adeyemi had cautioned City that their relaxed approach could lead to a tense finish as they threatened Donnarumma's goal, and Dortmund defender Anton eventually beat the Italian goalkeeper. The unexpected scorer converted a well-executed free kick to introduce some uncertainty.

Anton's goal triggered a late push from Dortmund as they attempted to create anxiety inside the Etihad, but it was City who produced the match's fifth goal as substitute Cherki weaved past multiple yellow and black jerseys before firing in his maiden Champions League strike.

Man City vs. Borussia Dortmund Half Time Stats

Man City vs. Borussia Dortmund Full Time Stats