Man City simply too good for Borussia Dortmund as Niko Kovac & Co admit they were 'outplayed' by Pep Guardiola's world-class team

City extended their formidable Champions League home form with a convincing 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, handing the German side their first defeat in the competition. The English star Foden opened the scoring after 22 minutes before the Norwegian hero Haaland, captaining City for the night, once again punished his former club with a clinical finish for 2-0 at the end of the first half.

City controlled large portions of the match with their trademark tempo and positional play, leaving Dortmund frequently pinned deep and struggling to regain composure. Foden struck again early in the second half, capping another sweeping attacking phase to make it 3-0, before Waldemar Anton pulled one back for Dortmund in the 72nd minute. Any hope of a late push evaporated when Rayan Cherki restored City's three-goal cushion in stoppage time.

It was a performance that not only highlighted City’s depth and structure, but also showed the gulf between a side pushing for European glory and a Dortmund team still trying to establish consistency under Kovac.

Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck spoke bluntly about the defeat, telling DAZN: “We played well for the first 15 minutes, then we let City control the game for 20 minutes. They practically outplayed us at times. We deserved to lose because we simply weren't good enough.”

Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel added that Dortmund started brightly but faded too quickly, saying: “I had the feeling there was a dip in our performance before the 1-0 goal. But I don't understand why. Up until then, we were playing really well… I think four goals in the end is too many.”

While their boss Kovac did not sugarcoat the result either, and heaped a lot of praises for the Premier League club: “We’re certainly a very good team in the Bundesliga and we reached the Champions League quarterfinals. But you have to say and acknowledge that this is a world-class team. We're not yet at that level, that has to be said. That's not a bad thing, because we have to be honest. We want to get there. To achieve that, we have to improve and work every day.”

City’s attacking dominance again revolved around Foden’s intelligence between the lines and Haaland’s clinical finishing. Foden is increasingly becoming the rhythm-setter for Guardiola’s system, drifting centrally to overwhelm Dortmund’s midfield shape. His two goals reflected both his composure and City’s ability to exploit space once control was established.

Haaland, meanwhile, once again proved decisive against his old club, and with his goal, the 18th of his season in all competitions only highlighted how relentless his scoring form remains.

Kovac also pointed to City's sharper passing, more fluid movement and greater collective discipline as the key differences: "We didn't create the chances we would have liked. Then we were simply too passive, conceding three goals from outside the penalty area. A deserved defeat. You could see the difference. City's passing was much cleaner than ours. Against teams like this, you have to defend better."

As Guardiola prepares his side for a crucial Premier League meeting with Liverpool next, the victory reinforced City’s return to fluency and sharpness in possession, traits that define their best phases under the Catalan manager.

City are now fourth in the Champions League table and looking increasingly like the title contenders of recent seasons.

Dortmund, meanwhile, must respond quickly to avoid stalling, as their next challenge comes in the Bundesliga against Hamburg, where the objective will be both physical recovery and restoring confidence. The defeat at the Etihad revealed areas Dortmund must address, defensive compactness, midfield resistance under pressure, and the capacity to maintain intensity across 90 minutes.