Champions League, Borussia Park – Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 (Stindl 54’)Manchester City 2 (Christensen OG 65’, Aguero 90’)
Sergio Aguero scored a 90th-minute penalty to rescue a win for Manchester City in a pulsating match against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
City came into the match knowing that anything other than a win would leave them floundering in a tricky Champions League Group D following that defeat to Juventus a fortnight ago. But it was the German hosts who dominated the first-half, carving open a ramshackle City defence time and time again.
Joe Hart was the star of the show for City, saving a Raffaelpenalty and making two more stunning stops to deny the striker before the interval.
Manuel Pellegrini responded to the one-sided first-half by replacing Yaya Toure with Fernando in midfield, but it seemed make little difference when Last Stindl was left in acres of space to tuck home after 54 minutes.
However, from that moment onward City looked a different side. A Nicolas Otamendi strike cannoned in off the head of the unfortunate Andreas Christensen 11 minutes later – giving the additional official an almighty reprieve for missing a flicked header crossing the line seconds earlier – and the English club dominated the remainder of the match.
But it took until stoppage time for Sergio Aguero to produce the match-winning moment. The Argentinean striker drew a foul brilliantly inside the box to win the penalty, before coolly dispatching the spot-kick to give his team a win that may prove crucial come the end of the group stage.
Manchester City's Belgian forward Kevin De Bruyne (R) and Moenchengladbach's Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka vie for the ball during the UEFA Champions League first-leg Group D football match between Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City - AFP
KEY MOMENTS
4’ – CHANCE! Sterling picks out Aguero unmarked at the back post, but the goalkeeper makes a terrific save with his trailing leg to deny the Argentinean. That really should have been 1-0 City.
18’ - PENALTY! Gladbach win a penalty as Demichelis goes to ground inside the area and gets nowhere near the ball.
19’ - SAVED! Joe Hart saves Raffael’s penalty and it's still 0-0. That's a terrific save by Hart, diving away to his right and punching it clear to prevent Gladbach having any chance of latching on to a rebound.
33’ – SAVE! Joe Hart makes a stunning save to deny Raffael. The striker was through one-on-one, but Hart made himself big and got a strong right hand to the shot.
46’ - TOURE HOOKED - Yaya Toure has been hauled off after a poor first half. On comes Fernando to try and add some defensive solidity.
Manchester City's English defender George Evans (L) comes on for his debut for Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (R) - AFP
47’ – SAVE! Hart makes another terrific save to deny Raffael. The striker found acres of space inside the box, but had a tight angle for the shot and couldn't quite curl his effort around the City stopper.
54’ - GOAL! Lars Stindl puts the hosts ahead with a calm finish beyond the reach of Hart.
65’ - GOAL!!! Nicolas Otamendi slams a shot towards goal that comes off the head of Christensen and finds the top corner. 1-1. Game on.
89’ - PENALTY! Sergio Aguero brilliantly takes the ball down inside the box and is felled. It's a clear penalty and City will have a golden chance to steal all three points.
90’ - GOAL! Sergio Aguero tucks the penalty into the bottom corner to give City a 2-1 lead.
Manchester City's Belgian forward Kevin De Bruyne (L) and Joe Hart celebrate after the UEFA Champions League first-leg Group D football match between Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City in Monchengladbach, western Germany on September 30, 2015 - AFP
TALKING POINT: Was this the beginning of the end for Yaya?
Gladbach had the run of the midfield in the first 45 minutes, with Fernandinho left virtually on his own to compete with the well-drilled hosts’ central quartet. To call Yaya Toure anonymous would be kind and it was little surprise to see him hauled off at the break. City did conceded shortly after half-time, but they were a transformed side in the second period, with Fernando and Fernandinho giving the team the sort of platform and control that Toure never looked like supplying.
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