The Norwegian endured a frustrating evening at Signal Iduna Park but Manchester City still sealed top spot in their Champions League group.
There were smiles on both sides at the end of Borussia Dortmund's 0-0 draw with Manchester City in Germany.
The Bundesliga side got the point they needed to qualify for the knockout stages while Pep Guardiola's men guaranteed their spot among the top seeds.
However, it was a clash that won't live long in the memory, and proved a frustrating evening for Erling Haaland.
The prolific Norwegian striker failed to have a meaningful shot on his first return to Signal Iduna Park, while Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty for the second successive Champions League game.
Below, GOAL runs through the winners and losers from a dour draw…
GettyThe Winners
Stefan Ortega Moreno:
Pep Guardiola likes to throw in the odd selection head-scratcher and giving the German goalkeeper his debut at Dortmund was a surprise. The City boss confirmed Ederson wasn’t injured but only added that Moreno “had to play” after being forced to wait two-and-a-half months for first team action. Ortega looked more than comfortable with the ball at his feet, particularly when Dortmund tried to put him under pressure and City’s build-up was uninterrupted in starting from the back. And when the home side got a glimpse of goal, he stood strong, shovelling away one Karim Adeyemi effort and keeping out another from Gio Reyna.
Pep Guardiola:
Group G’s top spot was the main target from City’s trip to Germany so, from that perspective, it was mission accomplished for the Premier League champions. It perhaps hasn’t been secured in the dominant way that the City boss will have wanted with back-to-back lacklustre goalless draws. But the Champions League can be forgotten about until February, when City will again be among the top seeds for the last 16. And with a hectic pre-World Cup schedule over the next fortnight, the matchday-six clash with Sevilla next week will be another chance to rest key players and give an opportunity to fringe players.
Manuel Akanji:
The player to leave Dortmund for City in the summer but the one who made more of an impact. Indeed, it shows what a quick impact Akanji has made that he was initially rested for this game with more important Premier League matches on the horizon. But with Dortmund pulling City defenders out of position in the first half, Guardiola decided to rejig his backline. Akanji was flawless as he stepped in at right-back and one strong and perfectly-timed tackle on Gio Reyna showed his commitment to his new side.
AdvertisementGettyThe Losers
Erling Haaland:
It wasn’t quite the dream return to Dortmund that Haaland wanted as he lasted just 45 minutes without making much of an impression. All eyes were on the Norwegian striker has played in front of the Yellow Wall for the first time since his £51 million ($63m) summer switch that has seen him just continue his incredible goal record. But the home fans were desperate to see him draw a blank, with huge cheer for Mats Hummels when his lunging tackle stopped Haaland racing in on goal early in the game. That was about as close as he came as City struggled to cut open the Bundesliga side and the experiment of playing alongside Julian Alvarez failed to pay dividends.
Riyad Mahrez:
It might be some time before the Algerian winger is back on penalty duty as the back-up to Haaland. Had he converted a spot-kick in Copenhagen a fortnight ago, there would have been nothing at stake in this game for City. And the night would have been over much earlier had his penalty been saved again, this time Gregor Kobel guessing right by diving to his right. Mahrez won the penalty himself by jinking inside Emre Can, but for a player that finished last season as City’s top scorer, he’s lost his touch in front of goal.
Leicester:
With five matches over the next 18 matches, Pep Guardiola decided to use his squad depth with knockout qualification already secured. The City boss made six changes from the side that beat Brighton 3-1 with Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte and Ederson all sitting out the clash. On top of that Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Manuel Akanji only played for 45 minutes in Germany. If Brendan Rodgers was hoping the Premier League champions might be tired after their midweek trip, Guardiola has done his best to keep his players as fresh as possible.
Ratings: Defence
Stefan Ortega Moreno (8/10):
Very impressive debut, both with the ball at his feet and dealing with any shots from the home side.
John Stones (6/10):
His first start in five weeks and was occasionally caught out of position, playing Adeyemi onside for one quick break before switching back into the middle.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
Solid in the centre of defence and organised the backline when Dortmund threatened from dead-ball situations.
Nathan Ake (6/10):
Could have been closer to Cancelo to stop the threat down the right but was strong when the ball came close.
Joao Cancelo (6/10):
Was a threat going forward but was also isolated defensively and Dortmund’s most dangerous moments came down his side before he was taken off.
Midfield
Rodri (7/10):
Another enjoyable scrap with rising star Jude Bellingham where neither came out on top but showed why they are two of the best midfielders in the world.
Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):
Neat and tidy as he tried to link the attacks but Dortmund were determined to get men behind the ball.
Phil Foden (6/10):
Took up some promising positions but his final pass was missing particularly when he tried to find Haaland.
