RB Leipzig vs. Man City score, highlights from Champions League as Gvardiol cancels out Mahrez strike

Josko Gvardiol secured a 1-1 draw for RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester City.

Riyad Mahrez gave City the lead before the half-hour, crowning a dominant opening from the Premier League champions.

But Leipzig emerged with renewed purpose after the break and halftime substitute Benjamin Henrichs twice went close before Croatia defender Gvardiol converted Marcel Halstenberg’s cross as City were caught napping from a short corner.

The Champions League last 16 has not been kind to Premier League teams so far, with Tottenham and Chelsea slipping to 1-0 defeats away from home against AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund respectively before Real Madrid hammered Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield.

RB Leipzig vs. Man City score

	1H	2H	Final
RBL	0	1	—
MCI	1	0	—

Goals:

MCI — Riyad Mahrez (Ilkay Gundogan) — 27th minute.

RBL — Josko Gvardiol (Marcel Halstenberg) — 70th minute.

City looked certain to break that slump as they played with total authority during the first half. Guardiola sent out a more conventional back four than he has deployed in recent weeks but, in practice, Kyle Walker almost played as a right winger in possession and this was an unexpected threat Leipzig failed to deal with.

The knock-on from Walker’s placement was Mahrez being allowed to operate in-field, much closer to centre-forward Erling Haaland, and the goal was his reward for taking up these positions. Jack Grealish snaffled a slack pass from Xaver Schlager and found Ilkay Gundogan, whose deft backheel took Gvardiol out of the game and left Mahrez to rifle home his 12th of the season.

City were unable to make their dominance count further, with a Rodri header from a Mahrez corner just evading Haaland before the impressive Grealish curled narrowly over the top corner.

Marco Rose’s decision to introduce Henrichs at the break gave Leipzig extra attacking thrust and he headed off target before drilling a glorious chance just past the post.

Ederson was called upon to make a sharp save from Andre Silva and divert a Timo Werner cross away from Emil Forsberg.

Haaland belatedly got half a sight of goal when he shot wide from a tight angle on the end of a Grealish throughball but the man he sprinted past on that occasion, Gvardiol, got the goal at the other end after Ederson turned Dominik Szoboszlai’s drive over the bar. 

MORE: Have Manchester City won the Champions League? History of Citizens’ quest to win biggest trophy in Europe

Why did Pep Guardiola make no substitutions against RB Leipzig?

Guardiola became the first manager to make no substitutions whatsoever in a Champions League game since Jose Mourinho left Manchester United’s replacements in their tracksuits against Juventus in 2018. As Henrichs had a transformative influence on the game, it was a little perplexing to see the likes of Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez left in cold storage, especially as City lacked creative thrust with Kevin De Bruyne absent through injury. In turn, Haaland cut a frustrated figure.

But Guardiola would likely point towards him and his team playing the situation, and with some justification. The City boss has previously explained his reluctance to use substitutes in certain games because he is happy with the rhythm of his team and the overall pattern of the game. Leipzig’s equaliser came after a flurry of pressure and City have previously collapsed to twos and threes in Europe in such situations. Had Foden or Alvarez been thrown on to chase the game, that would have increased the risk of such a scenario unfolding again and there was no need for that with a second leg to come in Manchester.

Should VAR have given Man City a penalty?

Henrichs certainly put in an all-action performance, changing the entire feel of the contest. But he ended up being a danger to his own side, first scything through the back of Gundogan to pick up a yellow card before performing what looked like a sound piece of defensive volleyball when Rodri headed a stoppage-time corner towards goal. There was no penalty given and, it seemed initially, no VAR check (although Guardiola stated after the game that a check had been carried out). Perhaps everyone just wanted to go home at that point. Leipzig were the better team after halftime and worthy of a share of the spoils, but Henrichs certainly got away with one.

Ederson reminds Pep Guardiola of his quality

Ederson has been Manchester City’s undisputed No.1 since joining from Benfica in 2017 and is arguably Guardiola’s most important signing during his time at the Etihad Stadium. But there were murmurings before this game, albeit quiet ones, that it could be the right time to give impressive understudy Stefan Ortega a run. In their past four Premier League games, City have conceded from their first shot on target. There are no outright Ederson howlers in that sample size but his save percentage and xGA numbers do not make for pretty reading in 2022/23.

When Leipzig got on top after the interval, he stepped up with three fine stops from Andre Silva, Timo Werner and Dominik Szoboszlai. Leipzig scored immediately after he tipped the latter shot over the bar. Ederson had certainly earned better protection from his defence than he received.

RB Leipzig vs. Man City as it happened, highlights from the Champions League

Fulltime: Christopher Nkunku looks to have one last run at the City backline but Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva stuff out the danger. That’s all we have time for. City were excellent before halftime and will probably be the happier of the sides with the result, in a round where all the other English teams have lost. Still, in a season where City have lacked their customary control. Over the past week, at Nottingham Forest and tonight, they have relocated that control and won neither match. Guardiola comes out onto the field and cajoles his players before they head over to take the applause of the travelling supporters.

90th minute+3: Final chance for City. Riyad Mahrez is over a corner on the left. He goes short to Ilkay Gundogan for a one-two, the lofted cross towards Rodri cannot be turned goalwards. Handball claims from the visiting players against Benjamin Henrichs are waves away.

90th minute: There will be two additional minutes.

89th minute: Benjamin Henrichs lunges through the back of Ilkay Gundogan and is the worthy recipient of the game’s first yellow card.

88th minute: A long, sting-drawing period of possession from City, which involves more or less everyone apart from Erling Haaland. It looks like they’re happy to take a draw back to Manchester.

85th minute: Leipzig attack down the left and again try to load the back post. Jack Grealish gets all the way back to snuff out the attack and comes away with the ball. He checks back, neglecting to counter-attack directly and is irritated by Yussuf Poulsen’s foul.

82nd minute: Amadou Haidara and Yussuf Poulsen come on for Xaver Schlager and Andre Silva. Those are Marco Rose’s third and fourth changes. The XI Guardiola sent out for City at the start are still on the field.

80th minute: Ruben Dias hares out of defence to try and deal with Christopher Nkunku. The results are mixed until Riyad Mahrez comes back and snaps into an uncharacteristically aggressive challenge.

79th minute: Gundogan and Grealish can seemingly take Leipzig apart down that left flank whenever they fancy. The ball comes inside to Riyad Mahrez, whose dummy to Bernardo Silva is a needless complication and the chance is gone.

78th minute: Andre Silva is down looking a bit winded after being bashed in the back by Kyle Walker, who would seem to be his mortal enemy.

72nd minute: Ilkay Gundogan almost restores City’s lead. Again Jack Grealish is involved with a low cross from the left. Janis Blaswich saves brilliantly, keeping the ball out and pushing the rebound sufficiently away from Erling Haaland.

70th minute: GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!! Josko Gvardiol!!!!!

It’s certainly been coming and Gvardiol towers over the City defence to power in from the left-wing corner.

69th minute:Leipzig get right back on the front foot and Kyle Walker needlessly gives away a corner under little pressure. The ball is worked out to Dominik Szoboszlai who lashed one towards the top corner and Ederson saves superbly.

68th minute: Erling Haaland has been on the margins of this game but he burns around the outside of Josko Gvardiol and shoots wide from a tight angle.

67th minute: More enterprising play from RB Leipzig as Timo Werner combines with Xaver Schlager. Ruben Dias makes a vital block on the end of the latter’s through ball.

64th minute: Emil Forsberg gets into the sort of position he likes to try and cause damage inside the final third. He finds  Benjamin Henrichs, whose cross is blocked by Nathan Ake. It looks like City have more defensive hard yards ahead of them because Christopher Nkunku is getting ready to come on.

63rd minute: Wonderful play from Andre Silva, who twists Manuel Akanji one way then the other. He leaves the Switzerland defender for dust and draws a fine Ederson save from a tight angle.

62nd minute: A Leipzig attack gives City the chance to break but Xaver Schlager does well to block Ilkay Gundogan’s attempted pass for Erling Haaland. A game with more transitions should suit Leipzig more, especially with no Kevin De Bruyne in the City side.

56th minute: Now Ederson has to get down bravely and effectively as Timo Werner gets down the left after a quick throw-in. Emil Forsberg was lurking in the box.

55th minute: Huge chance for the equaliser! Henrichs is left in oceans of space on the right, steadies himself but drills wide from inside the box. Not hitting the target there is pretty unacceptable. A wake-up call for City?

53rd minute: Leipzig certainly looking more likely so far in this half, even if they did set themselves a low bar. Benjamin Henrichs sends a looping header over.

48th minute: Nathan Ake joins the City attack and slots a ball down the left channel for Gundogan. His cutback finds Riyad Mahrez, whose goalbound effort is blocked.

46th minute: We’re back underway. Marco Rose sent his Leipzig side out early. One of those “now, you lot get out of my sight!” team talks.

Halftime: The offside flag went up after that Werner shot, so it wouldn’t have counted. It didn’t look like an obvious offside but there’s no need to disbelieve the linesman based on what we’ve seen so far. City are very good value for their lead but Pep Guardiola will no doubt remind his players that they were 1-0 up and dominant away from home at the weekend too.

45th minute+1: Xaver Schlager picks up the ball in midfield and could the be a Leipzig chance? He finds Timo Werner, who cuts inside onto his right foot and Ederson tumbles to his left to make a routine save.

45th minute: Andre Silva leaves one on Kyle Walker. That’s one to keep an eye on, given Walker was sent off for booting Silva when the teams met on this ground last season.

44th minute: Grealish drops in effectively, he really seems to be enjoying the extra creative responsibility in Kevin De Bruyne’s absence. City’s No.10 slots a pass to Ilkay Gundogan, who can’t pick out Erling Haaland as his cutback is blocked.

39th minute: Side to side again from City, Bernardo Silva conducting masterfully. I’m tired for the Leipzig players just watching this. Big switch from Manuel Akanji and Jack Grealish wins the corner. Rodri gets to Mahrez’s delivery but that’s way off target.

35th minute: Bernardo Silva bounces through a couple of challenges and gets back to his feet to find Jack Grealish. That’s superbly tenacious play. Grealish curls just over the top corner. Guardiola slaps his hands onto his head on the touchline.

30th minute: City look to ram home their advantage, having failed to do so at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Mahrez’s corner finds Rodri at the backpost and his header back across goal just evades Erling Haaland.

27th minute: GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!!! Riyad Mahrez!!!!

Xaver Schlager gives the ball away to Jack Grealish, the sort of error that can happen when you’ve spent the best part of half an hour chasing possession. The England international slots a pass towards Ilkay Gundogan, whose deft backheel takes Josko Gvardiol out of the game. Mahrez makes the most of his more central position tonight to rifle past Janis Blaswich.

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26th minute: Rodri looks to go over the top but Riyad Mahrez goes a little too soon.

24th minute: Kyle Walker gets down the flank again but his drilled cross lacks precision. He should have done better there.

23rd minute: Leipzig will be pleased by how they’ve restricted City in front of goal. However, they’re having to work very hard to do so as Pep Guardiola’s team pop the ball around with elan.

18th minute: City snaffle back possession high up. Rodri wallops one from 25 yards and it goes into the stand quite high up.

17th minute: Riyad Mahrez clumps it into the wall about halfway up.

16th minute: Jack Grealish, who has made a swaggering start here, roves in-field with intent and Xaver Schlager bundles him to the floor. Free-kick in an attractive position for City.

14th minute: Ruben Dias meets the corner with a firm header but it’s straight at Janis Blaswich, who holds on. At the other end, Leipzig put together their first attack of note but, in failing to get off an aerial attempt at goal, Silva is offside again.

13th minute: A first searching long ball towards Haaland and the big man does well, bringing Kyle Walker into play. The full-back is really enjoying this advanced role and a deflected cross brings a corner. 

10th minute: City’s ultra high line works well as Andre Silva ambles offside just behind halfway

6th minute: Ilkay Gundogan shuffles possession on the Jack Grealish, who has space to dribble in from the left. He finds Riyad Mahrez in the area but the Algeria winger is crowded out. That’s another example of City’s wingers operating within the width of the 18-yard box.

2nd minute: City make an assured start in possession with Leipzig looking to press high whenever they can. It feels like the pattern is already set. Kyle Walker is pushing up the right wing when City have the ball. The knock-on effect from that is both of Pep Guardiola’s wingers playing quite narrow and close to Erling Haaland alongside Ilkay Gundogan.

4 mins from kickoff: Here come the teams. The Red Bull Arena is an explosion of sound and colour. Let’s get to it.

10 mins from kickoff: The tussle between Erling Haaland and standout Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol could decide the outcome tonight. Haaland scored six times in four appearances for Borussia Dortmund against the east German team. That haul was made up of three braces and is his joint-most goals against any single opponent.

30 mins from kickoff: If Christopher Nkunku does get on for Leipzig tonight, City will not need a reminder about the danger he poses. The France international netted a hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium when the hosts ran out 6-3 winners in an action-packed group encounter last season.

50 mins from kickoff: We’ve had our share of wacky Pep Guardiola teamsheets for European nights over recent years but that City team is, well, a bit… boring? That’s not necessary a bad idea away from home in a two-legged tie and it features the sort of purely defensive back four that plenty of fans have been crying out for over a run of one clean sheet in the past seven Premier League games. Also, in Kevin De Bruyne’s absence, Phil Foden starting in one of the attacking midfield positions would have been a more adventurous option. As it is, Guardiola has picked his four best fit defenders, his midfielders and wingers who cherish possession the most and Erling Haaland. That should ordinarily get the job done.

1hr 10 mins from kickoff: Here’s the City team. Do not rub your eyes or furrow your brow, Pep Guardiola appears to have picked an entirely conventional back four.

1hr 15 mins from kickoff: Here’s he Leipzig XI. Star man Christopher Nkunku, is fit enough to take a place on the bench.

1hr 25 mins from kickoff: Team news will be with us shortly and keep an eye on who plays in goal for Manchester City. Ederson has been Pep Guardiola’s No.1 for such occasions ever since signing from Benfica in 2017. However, the Brazil international has been below his best this season, with the Premier League champions conceding from their first shot on target in each of the past four matches. Understudy Stefan Ortega is back in his homeland, having excelled in the Bundesliga last term. The former Arminia Bielefeld keeper has generally impressed in cup competitions for City this season and played in the Champions League fixtures against Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla when progression from the group stage was already assured.

1hr 40 mins from kickoff: Not without good reason, plenty of commentators have spoken with deep foreboding over the prospect of the cash-rich Premier League dominating European football for years to come, increasing the spectre of the Super League that never really went away. However, the results on the pitch over the past week have not really aligned with any such doomsday scenario. Tottenham and Chelsea were unremarkable in 1-0 defeats to AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund before Real Madrid came from 2-0 down to clout Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield last night. Can Manchester City arrest a dismal run of form from England’s top flight?

2 hours from kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League.

RB Leipzig vs. Man City lineups

RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose has star forward Christopher Nkunku on the bench after the France international made his comeback against Wolfsburg at the weekend but then suffered a knock in training. Playmaker Dani Olmo is unavailable due to a thigh injury, and centre-back and PSG loanee Abdou Diallo is out with a knee problem.

RB Leipzig starting lineup (4-2-3-1): 21-Janis Blaswich (GK) — 16-Lukas Klostermann, 4-Willi Orban, 32-Josko Gvardiol, 22-David Raum — 27-Konrad Laimer,  24-Xaver Schlager — 17-Dominik Szoboszlai, 10-Emil Forsberg, 11-Timo Werner — 19-Andre Silva

RB Leipzig subs: 13-Orjan Nyland (GK), 23-Marcel Halstenberg, 2-Mohamed Simakan, 25-Sanoussy Ba, 39-Benjamin Henrichs, 8-Amadou Haidara, 44-Kevin Kampl, 18-Christopher Nkunku, 9-Yussuf Poulsen

Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and defender Aymeric Laporte both stayed back in Manchester due to illness. John Stones is also out with a hamstring injury.

Man City starting XI (4-3-3): 31-Ederson (GK) — 2-Kyle Walker, 25-Manuel Akanji, 3-Ruben Dias, 6-Nathan Ake  — 20-Bernardo Silva, 16-Rodri, 8-Ilkay Gundogan — 26-Riyad Mahrez, 9-Erling Haaland, 10-Jack Grealish

Man City subs: 18-Stefan Ortega (GK), 33- Scott Carson (GK) 82-Rico Lewis, 21-Sergio Gomez, 4-Kalvin Phillips, 32-Maximo Perrone, 62-Shea Charles, 93-Alex Robertson, 47-Phil Foden, 80-Cole Palmer, 19-Julian Alvarez

MORE: Most goals in Champions League history: Ronaldo, Messi and more

How to watch RB Leipzig vs. Man City

	TV channel	Streaming
Australia	—	Stan Sport
Canada	—	DAZN
Hong Kong	beIN Sports 3	beIN Sports Connect
India	Sony TEN 2	Sony LIV, JioTV
Malaysia	beIN Sports 3	beIN Sports Connect, sooka
New Zealand	—	Spark Sport
Singapore	beIN Sports 3	beIN Sports Connect, StarHub TV
UK	BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate	BT Sport app/site
USA	CBS, UniMas, TUDN	fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX+

Australia: Fans can watch every match of the UEFA Champions League with all the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.

Canada: Every Champions League match in Canada can be streamed exclusively on DAZN. 

UK: The UEFA Champions League is carried by BT Sport’s TV and streaming platforms.

USA: Fans in the USA can watch the RB Leipzig vs. Man City match in English (CBS and Paramount+) and Spanish (UniMas, TUDN, and ViX+).

When matches are televised on CBS or Univision TV outlets, those same channels are streamed on fuboTV, which is available on a free trial for new users.