Gladbach vs. Manchester City: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League Match

Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City split the spoils on Wednesday, as the teams played to a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Champions League.

Raffael gave the hosts a deserved lead in the first half, but David Silva tied things up just before half-time. Gladbach lost Lars Stindl to a red card early in the second half, and Fernandinho joined him for an early shower minutes later.

City dominated afterwards, but the score remained unchanged.

As shared by City's official Twitter account, manager Pep Guardiola opted for a very attacking starting XI with only three designated defenders:

Unsurprisingly, the attacking formation resulted in plenty of possession early for City, although chances were few. Fernandinho powered a header over the crossbar from a Silva free-kick, but other than that, Gladbach comfortably survived the opening stages.

Mahmoud Dahoud was his usual dominant self in midfield, doing a fantastic job winning the ball back and testing Claudio Bravo with the hosts' first shot of the match. Fabian Johnson also threatened, drawing a fine save from the stopper.

Jesus Navas tried to pick out Sergio Aguero with a high cross, to no avail, and Gladbach started to take over in midfield and force the Citizens back. While the visitors still held an edge in possession, they couldn't penetrate as deep as they did before and had to be wary of the counter.

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Andreas Christensen stood out early, denying Raheem Sterling every time the former Liverpool man came close to the ball. Kevin De Bruyne also found it difficult to create space or chances.

Sterling tried to test Yann Sommer, sending a tame effort at the Swiss stopper, before Raffael gave the hosts a deserved lead. Stindl muscled John Stones off the ball before playing in the striker, who easily converted.

The Germans' official Twitter account wanted to see more of that:

Football pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft wondered what was going on with City:

Gladbach kept pushing after the opener, making the Citizens uncomfortable every time they came near Sommer's goal. Aguero was furious when he clashed with Christensen and the official gave the hosts a free-kick rather than letting play continue.

Sterling and Navas switched flanks, and the tactic seemed to pay off early. Suddenly, the England international started finding space, and in turn, De Bruyne was freed up a little more.

Ilkay Gundogan drew a terrific save from Sommer when a corner fell right into his lap, and Nicolas Otamendi put his effort over the bar.

Bravo nearly presented Oscar Wendt the 2-0 goal on a platter, throwing the ball directly at the full-back before fixing his mistake with a good save. Goal's Sam Lee was not impressed:

But as the half wore on, City improved. After Dahoud fired a good chance over the bar, Aguero came close to an equaliser, testing Sommer following a good pass from Sterling. Minutes later, De Bruyne picked out Silva, who poked home the 1-1 from close range.

BBC Radio's Ian Cheeseman praised the provider:

City reverted back to the three-man defence to start the second half and threatened early, with De Bruyne picking out Stones with a free-kick. Sterling thought he had made it 2-1 shortly after, but the goal was called back for offside.

Stindl, who had been one of the standouts for the hosts, completely lost his head just minutes into the half, barging into Otamendi to earn his second booking. Per DW Sports, things weren't looking up for Gladbach:

City seized momentum straight away and pushed up the pitch in search of the lead, but Gladbach once again dug in their heels and defended their goal well. And just a few minutes after Stindl left the pitch, Fernandinho joined him with his second booking of the night.

The midfielder pulled back Raffael by the shirt, and while the punishment seemed harsh, he should have known better carrying a yellow.

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Raffael came very close to restoring the lead from the restart, firing a shot just wide. On the other side of the pitch, De Bruyne tried his luck, with Sommer palming his shot over the bar.

The Citizens were furious when Raffael wasn't given a second yellow of his own for a handball, and the resulting free-kick came to nothing. Aguero perhaps should have done better after a smart run from Navas, and the Spaniard failed to reach him with another cross.

City kept prodding for the winner, but Gladbach eyed the counter and had one or two looks of their own. Andre Hahn was introduced in a last-ditch effort, but the better chances still fell to City. Otamendi somehow missed with a free header, as the score remained unchanged.

The match was hardly entertaining or of a high standard, but De Bruyne didn't really care after the contest:

City will face Celtic in their final Champions League match, while Gladbach take on Barcelona.