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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Daniel Orme

Erling Haaland haunts Borussia Dortmund as Man City seal victory - 5 talking points

In what has long been a footballing cliche, Borussia Dortmund were left hurt by one of their former players - this time Erling Haaland coming back to haunt the German side in a slender 2-1 victory for Manchester City.

Considering the amount of former Dortmund players in Pep Guardiola 's current squad, that was always going to happen but it was the circumstances in which it happened will go down in club folklore. For so long, City looked to be slumping to defeat after Jude Bellingham opened the scoring for the German side as he ghosted into the penalty area to nod firmly past Ederson.

However, John Stones proved to be a late hero as he thundered in a stunning equaliser from range. That man Haaland was on hand to acrobatically steer home the winner for the reigning Premier League champions as they made it two wins from two in the group.

Here are Mirror Sport 's talking points from the Etihad Stadium:

City stumble up top but still win

It is not often that it can be said that a Guardiola Manchester City side have struggled with the attacking side of the game - particularly this season. That is exactly what happened during the majority of the clash at the Etihad Stadium though.

The reigning Premier League champions did not have a single shot on target until Stones' goal against Dortmund with the German side assembling impressive defensive lines to keep the City attack at bay, whilst Kevin De Bruyne was left frustrated in a what was a crowded midfield.

It goes without saying that Guardiola will have been mulling over his game plan and how to break down Dortmund down before the game but he won't have foreseen a canon from Stones earning his side an equaliser. Haaland's goal might well have been more in his script though.

The sheer fact that City have been able to win without playing anywhere near their best will delight the Spaniard.

Manchester City struggled to break down Dortmund for large swaths of the game (Getty Images)

Who was your man-of-the-match in Man City's defeat of Borussia Dortmund? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Erling Haaland enjoys dream Dortmund reunion

Borussia Dortmund supporters will have certainly have become accustomed to seeing Haaland score in front of them and considering his exhilarating start to life with Man City, it seemed sure that he would do so again at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the Norwegian really struggled to have an impact on the game initally. Haaland only had 11 touches of the ball in the first-half of the game and whilst that is no surprise - the striker regularly having been on the perifory before finding the net - the sheer fact he wasn't able to make an impression on his former side would have wrangled.

However, he only needed one chance as he acrobatically scored the winning goal - and indeed refused to celebrate.

Bellingham sets record in eye-catching display

Whilst Haaland will be the recipient of the majority of the headlines, special credit certainly has to go to Jude Bellingham. He looks more than likely to be the next mega-star to depart the Westfalenstadion after Haaland. The former Birmingham City youngster turned in a stunning display for the German side on Wednesday.

His ability on the ball was a delight to watch - Bellingham having got Dortmund on the move on a counter-attack which Marco Reus really should have opened the scoring from. He then produced a fantastic bit of skill to draw a poor challenge from Rodri - the City midfielder receiving a booking.

Bellingham then got his rewards via the opening goal as he nodded in Reus' ball into the penalty area and in the process became the highest scoring English teenager in Champions League history.

Jude Bellingham celebrates his goal against Manchester City (Getty Images)

John Stones channels inner Vincent Kompany

During BT Sport's coverage of the game, former midfielder Robbie Savage refused to compare John Stones' strike to that of Vincent Kompany's famous goal against Leicester City.

However, it is certainly very difficult to draw parallels. The City defender saw plenty of space open up for him as he trotted towards the penalty area and faced with little challenge, elected to have a swing of a boot.

Much like that goal against Leicester, the ball arrowed into the top corner. It might not be as an iconic strike - Kompany's goal going a long way to deciding the Premier League title race - but it will no doubt have triggered some special memories in the eyes of City fans.

Clash follows familiar pattern

Man City boss Guardiola has a lengthy history against Borussia Dortmund. Having served as Bayern Munich manager, he was regularly involved in showdowns with Die Schwarzgelben. He never lost a league game against them, whilst that theme has continued during his time with his current club.

Dortmund and City were of course also paired together in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the 2020/21 season with Guardiola's troops progressing to the final four and consequently the title. However, the two showdowns with Dortmund were tight affairs with 2-1 wins for the English side each time.

This game was no different with the fine margins once again going in favour of City - not to mention the identical scoreline.

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