Erling Haaland needed support in the Manchester City attack, and on Wednesday, he got it as City defeated Borussia Dortmund 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Phil Foden shined, securing his first brace since January of 2025, facing Ipswich Town. Haaland wouldn't be denied a chance to score against his former team, raising his tally to 18 goals in 14 appearances, and City's defense also showed up, stopping one of the hottest scoring teams in Champions League play in Dortmund.
It was a complete performance for Pep Guardiola's men, and while they'll need to prove that this form can travel on the road, if others are scoring around Haaland, City will be tough to stop. Rayan Cherki has even been finding his footing, scoring twice and assisting three more goals in his last three appearances for the club. This is the recipe not only for City getting back to the Champions League crown but also to rise back to the top of the Premier League.
Dortmund had scored four goals in three consecutive matches and were limited to only four shots on target in their trip away from home, while City kept the pressure on with 11 shots on target, leading to four goals. A performance like this is something which could be a turning point for the squad
Pafos 1, Villarreal 0
Qarabağ 2, Chelsea 2
Ajax 0, Galatasaray 3
Club Brugge 3, Barcelona 3
Inter 2, Kairat Almaty 1
Manchester City 4, Borussia Dortmund 1
Newcastle United 2, Athletic Club 0
Marseille 0, Atalanta 1
Benfica 0, Leverkusen 1
So close to a winner. The Belgians have now gone ahead at home in the 91st minute of play with Romeo Vermant scoring but it was ruled out due to being a foul won the keeper, and Barcelona will still have a chance at a winner.
With his second goal from the spot, Oshimen has buried Ajax and secured a hat trick. Galatasaray are growing stronger by the matchday.
It's a rare mistake for Brugge as Tzolis is forced into an own goal from a Lamine Yamal cross. It was quite an unfortunate deflection, but it's one that gives Barcelona a lifeline for victory as 12 minutes remain in the match.
After Kairat scored, Carlos Agusto put Inter back in the lead as they look to close out this match at home.
Just when Lamine Yamal leveled the match with quite a finish, Carlos Forbes went the other way, beating the entire Barcelona defense. This is a nightmare for Hansi Flick's men.
It's his first Champions League brace and the first brace scored by a City player other than Erling Haaland this season. Even better, there has been a brace for City this season, but it was a duo of own goals as Burnley center back Maxime Esteve accomplished that feat on September 27.
Now it's Joelinton getting in on the fun as Newcastle United have their second after 48 minutes. One of the best midfields in the world makes their presence felt yet again.
You don't need a guess to know that it was Lautrao Martinez. Sticking with the attack, he followed up multiple blocks to get the opening goal right before half to give the Italian side the lead.
It was a finish with venom as Haaland kept moving in the box and Dortmund couldn't keep up with him. He now has scored in five consecutive UCL appearances and has done so for three different teams (Salzburg, Dortmund, and now Manchester City). Insane production.
It's the first goal for the Manchester City man since September, and it's a big one, giving his side a first half lead over Borussia Dortmund with a lovely finish.
Truly, blink and you may miss something in Belgium. We're now up to three goals in 18 minutes, and after assisting the first goal, this time it's Carlos Forbs finding the back of the net. Barcelona's defense are not covering itself in glory in the early going of this match.
The Magpies have been off to a strong start to this Champions League campaign, and Dan Burn did what he does best, finding the back of the net from a set piece, and Athletic Club's worries will continue.
That Brugge lead lasted all of two minutes before Ferran Torres leveled things and now we're level 1-1 at nine minutes. Yeah, this game is going to bring the goals.
Barcelona's defensive struggles continue as the Belgian side only needed seven minutes to find the back of the net. It was the young striker Nicolo Tresoldi who scored the opening goal via an assist from Carlos Forebes, and now Barcelona will need to gear up for a comeback. Yet again, it's a team beating the offside trap that came to bite Barcelona.
We're off and running in the late slate of matches. The early clashes have already delivered some surprises with Pafos hitting the ground running and Qarabag securing their first point ever against English opposition.
The fact that the odds are this low for picking a scorer and a victory shows just how dominant Haaland has been in a Manchester City shirt. With 17 goals in only 14 appearances in all competitions for City, Haaland is going to score in almost every game, the question is just will his team win the game. Facing Dortmund at home is a time that they should do just that.
Erling Haaland is in high-flying form and might be able to topple Borussia Dortmund on his own, but the good news for Manchester City is that the Norway international has a talented cast of supporting players willing to pitch on the goalscoring front. City may not be at the peak of their powers as manager Pep Guardiola mounts another rebuild, but they are definitely trending in the right direction, with Wednesday's game a perfect chance to showcase just that. -- Pardeep Cattry
at Haaland was anything other than spectacular in a Borussia Dortmund shirt, but right now there might be no more devastating force in football than the Norwegian, scorer of 17 of City's 31 goals in all competitions so far this season. He's probably going to add to that. -- James Benge
We've got quite a slate ahead today, and all eyes will be on illustrious strikers with Erling Haaland, Victor Osimhen, and Lautaro Martinez all in action. They'll have strong chances to lead their sides to victory in today's matches, which could feature some high-scoring affairs.
