Audio By Carbonatix
Manchester City missed out on a Europa League place after ending their miserable Champions League campaign with a defeat by Borussia Dortmund.
Ajax's defeat by Real Madrid meant City would have finished third in Group D had they beaten the German champions.
But Dortmund posed the greater threat, forcing a series of saves from Joe Hart before Julian Schieber slid in to score from Jakub Blaszczykowski's cross.
City crash out of Europe without a win in any of their six group games.
Their haul of three points is a meagre return given the vast resources at Roberto Mancini's disposal, and is the lowest by an English club in the 20-year history of the competition.
City become the first Premier League side not to manage a single group win, and missing out on the consolation prize of the Europa League means their seeding is likely to drop further when they return to Europe next season.
On this evidence, a vast improvement is required if they are to make any impact. If it had not been for some superb saves by Hart, City would have lost by an even greater margin to a depleted Dortmund side without many of their stars.
Jurgen Klopp's side were already through as group winners so the onus was on the visitors to chase victory, especially with Ajax behind early on in Madrid.
But Mancini's men created little in the first 45 minutes, and their only effort on goal was a bouncing shot by Edin Dzeko that Roman Weidenfeller pushed round his post.
Carlos Tevez worked hard and covered a lot of ground but, without the injured David Silva, City were lacking a spark in attack.
Dortmund also began slowly before creating a host of chances either side of half-time.
Hart, City's hero when they snatched a point against Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium in October, came to their rescue before the break when he got his fingertips to a Marco Reus drive and dived to keep out Ivan Perisic's curling shot.
The home side went closer still when Mats Hummels was just unable to turn in an inviting free-kick from Blaszczykowski, who came on for Marco Reus at the interval.
Edin Dzeko headed straight at Weidenfeller as City tried to respond but the chances kept coming for Dortmund, with Hart tipping a swerving Perisic volley over the bar and reacting well to beat away Kevin Grosskreutz's fierce strike.
So it was no surprise when they took the lead just before the hour mark, Schieber gratefully gobbling up Blaszczykowski's delightful low cross.
The scorer almost added a second soon after when Hart kept out his chip and City's response was muted at best, despite the best efforts of Tevez.
The Argentine striker and his compatriot Sergio Aguero forced smart saves from Weidenfeller but Hart remained the busier goalkeeper, stopping a Robert Lewandowski effort with his face.
In the end City went out meekly. They had known before kick-off they could progress no further in the Champions League and this lethargic performance was an appropriate way to end a hugely disappointing campaign.
A far better display will be needed when the Premier League champions return to domestic action on Sunday in what promises to be a pivotal clash with title rivals Manchester United.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Luv FM High School Debate: KNUST, St. Louis strike gold as quarter-finals dreams come alive
19 minutes -
Banks’ pre-tax profit jumps 40% to GH¢23bn
19 minutes -
Luv FM High School Debate: Anticipation builds as schools battle for supremacy in Round of 16
46 minutes -
Banking sector deposits jump 25% to GH¢334.3bn in 2025 — PwC
1 hour -
Hostel Owners Association bares teeth over legality of rent control campaign against exorbitant fees
1 hour -
GCB overtakes Ecobank as Ghana’s largest deposit-taking bank
1 hour -
Young Cocoa Farmers petition Mahama over funding, producer price and start date for new cocoa season
1 hour -
Ruha Benjamin challenges Africa to shape its own AI future
1 hour -
Trump threatens to bomb US ally Oman if it ‘gets in the way’ over Iran deal
1 hour -
FIFA sacks senior executive who criticised Infantino, Sky News understands
2 hours -
Aksa saga: Don’t turn EOCO-OSP roles into turf war – Deputy AG
2 hours -
Abandoned Dome-Berekuso-Kitase road project should not become a waste of taxpayers’ money — chief warns
2 hours -
University of Gold Coast graduates urged to prove themselves beyond certificates
2 hours -
GoldBod sets new X-Ray Fluorescence standard for gold purity testing from September 1
2 hours -
Why EOCO, not OSP, is leading AKSA bribery probe – Deputy AG explains
2 hours