Manchester City 1-3 Lyon: Pep Guardiola's side stunned as they exit Champions League

City had hauled themselves back into the game after Maxwel Cornet’s opener with Kevin De Bruyne’s 69th-minute equaliser but former Celtic striker Dembele then came off the bench to turn the tie dramatically.

Dembele first broke from halfway to slot home and then, moments after Sterling’s miss, he made victory certain after a spill by Ederson.

Sterling, who had been one of City’s better players, will certainly not want to relive the moment he could have levelled the game after 86 minutes.

The England forward had the goal at his mercy but remarkably blazed over in the heat of the moment.

City were then fully punished by Dembele and the wait for them, and their manager Pep Guardiola, goes on.

City had hoped the tournament’s new streamlined format would work in their favour but they reckoned without the determination of Lyon, who finished seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season.

Again Guardiola made a surprise in his selection for a key tie, bringing in Eric Garcia for Phil Foden.

While the intention was to add strength, deploying the 19-year-old in a three-man back line with Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte did not work.

City looked disjointed and, with Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri deep in midfield, there was a lack of attacking impetus.

In Sterling, De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus, they still boasted a potent forward trio but Lyon dealt with them well.

City did have an early chance as Joao Cancelo played in Sterling but his cutback for Jesus was cleared by Fernando Marcal.

Lyon looked to hit City on the counter and stretch their back three and the plan paid off in the 24th minute when Karl Toko Ekambi raced on to a Marcal pass.

Garcia recovered to halt the charge but cleared only as a far as Cornet, who after scoring against City three times last season, stung them again by curling round a stranded Ederson.

City at least responded positively and kept Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes busy for the remainder of the first half.

Lopes had to push away a drilled cross from Cancelo and smother Jesus’ attempt on the rebound. He also saved an albeit weak first-time shot from Rodri and then denied Sterling from close range.

City began to look laboured in the early stages of the second half but then De Bruyne took it upon himself to try to retrieve the situation.

The Belgian first tested Lopes with a 25-yard free-kick just before the hour and then curled another set-piece over before having a driving run halted on the edge of the area.

Ederson kept City’s hopes alive by keeping out another long-range Marcal shot and they finally broke the French side’s rearguard after 69 minutes.

Sterling did brilliantly to turn a defender on the left and his cutback for De Bruyne was perfect, allowing City’s chief playmaker to sidefoot past Lopes.

That appeared to energise City and Jesus forced a brilliant save from Lopes with a powerful shot on the turn that appeared destined for the top corner.

Yet just as City began to sense their chance, they were caught out again.

This time Dembele got behind the defence and finished well in the 79th minute. City waited in hope VAR might overturn the goal for a foul on halfway but the goal was given.

Sterling looked like he would take the game to extra time but contrived to miss from Jesus’ pass and Dembele then had the final say.

Opta facts

• Lyon’s Rudi Garcia is the first French manager to guide a French team to the Champions League semi-finals since 2009-10 (Claude Puel & Lyon).
• Since progressing from his first seven Champions League quarter-finals as a manager with Barcelona and FC Bayern München, Pep Guardiola has been eliminated in each of his three appearances at this stage of the competition with Man City (17-18, 18-19 & 19-20).
• The 2019-20 Champions League semi-finals will see two French teams (PSG, Lyon) and two German teams (RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich) compete for a place in the final; it’s the first time since 2012-13 that there are just two different nations represented at the semi-final stage.
• Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in more goals in all competitions in 2019-20 than any other Premier League player (38 – 16 goals, 22 assists).
• Lyon’s Maxwel Cornet has now scored four goals against Manchester City in the Champions League - since Pep Guardiola took charge of the club, only Lionel Messi and Moussa Dembele (4) have scored as many against them in the competition.
• Lyon striker Moussa Dembele has scored four goals in three appearances against Manchester City in the Champions League, with 57% of his goals in the competition coming against the Citizens (4/7).
• Man City’s Raheem Sterling made his 50th Champions League appearance tonight, aged 25 years and 251 days; the only Englishman to reach this milestone at a younger age was Wayne Rooney in 2010 (24 years, 115 days).
• Raheem Sterling provided his 11th assist for Manchester City in the Champions League; the joint-most for the club alongside Kevin De Bruyne.
• Fernandinho made his 58th appearance in the Champions League for Man City – the most of any City player in the competition.

Follow Sporting Life on social - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLifeFC

Related football content

• Transfer Market: Latest updates
• Transfer Window: Done deals
• Latest football previews and tips
• Sporting Life App: Android & iOS