Man City's Champions League charge continues as Haaland fails on Dortmund return

Manchester City maintained their place as leaders of Group E in the Champions League with a 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund and booked their place in the knockout stages.

The travelling City faithful tried to make themselves known inside Dortmund's atmospheric Signal Iduna Park by jeering both You'll Never Walk Alone and the Champions League anthem, but they were drowned out by the home fans.

It was actually the hosts who started the brighter of the two, with Dortmund enjoying a few promising attacks that amounted to nothing early on as Julian Brandt tried to flex his creative muscles.

The best chance of the first-half fell to the boot of Youssoufa Moukoko, but the teenage Dortmund striker could only guide his left-footed effort wide of City's goal.

The rest of the first-half fizzled out without little to note, but the game exploded into life just before the hour mark when Riyad Mahrez saw his spot-kick saved by Gregor Kobel.

Dortmund had their tails up, but also failed to make their pressure count and City eventually managed to whether the mini storm.

Mirror Football has analysed the game's main talking points as City run out group winners.

More penalty pain for Mahrez

Few top tier players across any of Europe's five major leagues boast a worst penalty record than the City winger.

It was only earlier this month during the 0-0 draw at at Copenhagen where the Algerian international missed yet another spot-kick, but he was guilty of the same offence against Dortmund.

Mahrez was the man fouled inside the area, so he picked the ball up and placed it on the spot with all the confidence of a man who knew he was going to beat the 'keeper.

Instead, he spurned a glorious chance to put City in front as he placed his tame effort at the perfect height for Kobel to dive to his right and palm the ball away.

Television cameras picked up a particularly frustrated reaction from Guardiola in the away dug-out.

Haaland struggles on return

The Norwegian superstar has set the Premier League alight so far this season but would have still come into this game against his former side with a point to prove.

Haaland has 22 goals to his name for City across all competitions this term, five of which have come in the Champions League.

However, he looked way off the pace throughout this contest with plenty of his touches coming to nothing and his only meaningful effort on goal inside the first 45 minutes was blocked when he could have slipped Riyad Mahrez in through on goal.

With that being said, it would have come as a pleasant surprise to the Dortmund back-line when it was revealed that Haaland would not be emerging for the second-half.

The 22-year-old was hooked by Guardiola in place of Bernardo Silva at the interval.

Bellingham's potential audition

Just about every major force on the continent is desperate to pry Jude Bellingham away from the Signal Iduna Park and City are no different.

At just 19 years of age, the England international boasts the kind of technical quality rarely seen in players 10 years his senior. Ahead of the game, Guardiola waxed lyrical over Bellingham.

"It's not just about the quality, it's about how he was leading and kicking and going to the referee, this guy is something special and has the mentality. He already is one of the captains [at Dortmund], the whole package is really good.

"He's already in the national team for England at 19-years-old, we know the quality he has. We will try to impose our game and win the game."

In truth, Bellingham was not exactly at his brilliant best but still showed moments of fleeting brilliance that are likely to have caught the eye of the City boss.

Alvarez wastes chance to impress

While Haaland has undeniably stolen the show so far this season, the arrival of Julian Alvarez from River Plate was certainly greeted with plenty of excitement from City supporters.

To say the young South American striker has lived up to the billing so far would be generous, but he was given the chance to strut his stuff alongside Haaland against Dortmund.

It was a chance he failed to take, with Alvarez struggling to get into the game as Haaland enjoyed the lion's share of possession out of the two City strikers.

He picked up a yellow card for his efforts mid-way through the first-half for a late tackle on Thorgan Hazard and in truth that was Alvarez's most meaningful contribution.

Stefan Ortega's debut

It's unclear whether the decision to hand goalkeeper Stefan Ortega his debut was an indictment of how seriously Guardiola was taking this tie, but the German shot-stopper impressed for the most part.

Before the game, the City boss confirmed Ortega's selction had nothing to do with the status of Ederson's fitness.

"He has to play. I decide, okay, he's going to play. No [he's not injured], I decide for Stefan today."

Ortega was first called into action a quarter of an hour in as he stood tall to thwart Karim Adeyemi's tame effort. He also kept Giovanni Reyna's attempt out and displayed the kind of composure on the ball that Ederson would be proud of.

City's deputy 'keeper was equal to a Youssoufa Moukoko effort to keep the scores level before the half-time whistle.

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