FODEN’S BLOCKBUSTER!

City Quadruple dream survives an early scare from Bellingham

THIS was a landmark night for young English talent, a big evening of European football illuminated by Jude Bellingham of Stourbridge and Phil Foden of Stockport.

In the end, though, it was an occasion that proved to be an even more important rite of passage for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Into the last four of the Champions League for the first time under their Spanish coach, City deserved this victory.

Behind early in this second leg, Guardiola’s players could have panicked. They have stumbled at this stage before.

But on this occasion they plotted their way back and simply proved themselves to be the better team. It is Paris Saint- Germain next, and City need not fear them.

This was a fine game, just as absorbing as the first leg — also won 2-1 by City. Bellingham, just 17, had starred for Dortmund in Manchester, where he had a perfectly good goal disallowed.

Here he scored one about which there could be no doubts.

Only 15 minutes had passed when he struck high into the net from 16 yards and, for a while, it seemed it may be the definitive moment of the tie. But City are a very good side these days. Maybe not quite as expansive and breathtaking as previous versions, but they are resilient and brave and they needed those qualities last night.

Riyad Mahrez converted a second-half penalty awarded for handball against Emre Can, and that in itself would have seen City through.

But Foden is an irresistible force when he is in the mood and he placed his own mark on the night with a rasping 75th-minute drive that appeared to bring Guardiola almost to tears on the touchline.

A wonderful embrace was shared by master and pupil, one that said everything for a relationship that has brought Foden’s career to its first significant peak at exactly the right time.

England manager Gareth Southgate will benefit from this night, too, of course.

Bellingham and Foden will join his squad for the Euros this summer as players of burgeoning repute and confidence.

This was another absorbing tussle between their respective teams, and Dortmund had already shown enough in the first leg at the Etihad to indicate their current fifth-place position in the Bundesliga is false.

Back at their own ground, their early football was familiar in its intensity and when Bellingham scored early on it did not come as a particular surprise.

Erling Haaland — impressive in Manchester but less so here — was involved as he span down the left channel to collect a ball from deep. City defender John Stones was momentarily off balance, but he recovered well enough to force the Norwegian to lay the ball off on the inside.

The trouble for City was only just arriving, however, and when a ricochet delivered the ball into the path of Bellingham a stride or two inside the area, he moved it neatly on to his right foot and placed a rising shot to Ederson’s left into the top corner of the goal.

It was a huge moment, and had Manuel Akanji done better than head a free chance straight at Ederson from a corner a couple of

minutes later, City would have been staring Champions League calamity in the face once again.

On reflection, that miss was significant. Only 18 minutes had passed and Dortmund were not to come as close to a second goal again. City gathered themselves, imposed their football on the opposition and were the better side thereafter.

A goal would not come for them in the first half. Kevin De Bruyne struck the bar and Mahrez was denied on the line by Bellingham. Who else? The pattern of the game had shifted notably, though.

City enjoyed a spell of unbroken possession at the start of the second half and Can — dreadful in the first leg — suffered another catastrophic moment in the 52nd minute when he headed a Foden cross against his own arm to concede a penalty.

After a VAR check that could easily have gone Can’s way, Mahrez lashed the penalty across goalkeeper Marwin Hitz and City were back in control. Another Dortmund goal would have taken us to extra time. They were still theoretically in the tie.

But their football now told a different story and without a crowd to give their adrenaline a spike, they suddenly looked a tired team.

Mats Hummels — as elegant as ever at the back — headed a free-kick over with 20 minutes to go but the decisive moment of the night was to arrive shortly at the other end.

Foden’s goal in Manchester eight days earlier had won the first leg and capped a fine performance. It was the case again here.

A corner was cleared to the angle of the area and Foden’s shot was delivered like an arrow low towards the near post. Hitz was favourite to save it but he erred, the ball striking the inside of the upright and flying in. Game over. Tie over.

There was a time when some doubted Guardiola’s handling of Foden. Not enough game time for the youngster, they said. But the Spaniard’s track record in this area afforded him the benefit of any doubt and he has ultimately delivered Foden perfectly, for club and for country.

Bellingham and Foden will hopefully grace the Euros this summer. It is quite a thought.

But only one of them can now divert to a Champions League final in Istanbul on the way.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-3-3): Hitz 6; Morey 5 (Tigges 81), Akanji 6, Hummels 6, Guerreiro 6; Bellingham 8 (Brandt 81), Can 5, Dahoud 6 (Hazard 76); Knauff 6 (Reyna 68, 6), Haaland 6, Reus 6.5. Subs not used: Burki, Drljaca, Schulz, Reinier, Meunier, Piszczek, Passlack, Raschi. Scorer: Bellingham 15. Booked: Bellingham. Manager: Edin Terzic 6. MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Ederson 6; Walker 6, Stones 7, Dias 7, Zinchenko 6; Rodri 6.5; Mahrez 7.5 (Sterling 88), De Bruyne 8, Gundogan 6.5, FODEN 8.5; Silva 6.5. Subs not used: Steffen, Trafford, Ake, Jesus, Laporte, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Cancelo, Garcia. Scorers: Mahrez 55 pen, Foden 75. Booked: None. Manager: Pep Guardiola 7. Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain) 7.