Pep Guardiola, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham landed Champions League milestones for their respective contributions in Wednesday's clash between Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City. The latter overcame an early scare to book their place in the semi-final stage of the competition, and are set to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the penultimate tie.
Ahead of the encounter, Man City held a goal advantage, having secured a 2-1 win in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium. They were however subjected to a surprise start at the Westfalenstadion, with Jude Bellingham scoring the game's opener for Dortmund in the 15th minute. As a result, the 17-year-old prodigy entered the history books as the second-youngest player to score in the knockout phase of the European cup competition.
17y 289d - Jude Bellingham is the second-youngest player to score in a UEFA Champions League knockout game, after Bojan for Barcelona against Schalke in April 2008 (17y 217d). Stage. pic.twitter.com/r2JuIUhcLQ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2021
17y 289d - Aged 17 years and 289 days, Jude Bellingham is only the second player to reach 10 UEFA Champions League appearances before turning 18, after Youri Tielemans in 2014; the previous youngest English player to reach 10 games was Theo Walcott (18y 341d in 2008). Advanced. pic.twitter.com/ExUXi2lI2g
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2021
Having taken the goal deficit into half-time, Man City managed a response just 10 minutes after play resumed in the second half. They benefited from a controversial penalty call after Emre Can was whistled for handball. Riyad Mahrez subsequently stepped up to convert the opportunity, putting his side ahead on aggregate. Phil Foden then completed the comeback with another stunning effort in the 75th minute. The Englishman, as a result, became the first U21 player after Kylian Mbappe to score in a two-legged Champions League quarter-final tie.
2 – For only the second time in UEFA Champions League history, two players (Jude Bellingham & Phil Foden) aged younger than 21 have scored in the same knockout game, after French pair Kylian Mbappé & Ousmane Dembélé did so during Monaco v Borussia Dortmund in April 2017. Whizz. pic.twitter.com/RzSlyuJr8z
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2021
Meanwhile, with the result, Pep Guardiola reached his eighth UEFA Champions League semi-final. As a result, he has matched José Mourinho record as the managers with the most semi-final appearances in the history of the competition.
8 - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reached his eighth UEFA Champions League semi-final, now the joint-most in the history of the competition, alongside José Mourinho. Master. #UCL pic.twitter.com/BtUwe1YfYn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2021