Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City: Score, Reaction from 2015 Champions League

A penalty save to end the first half and a penalty conversion to end the second was the difference for Manchester City in the club's 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in Champions League play on Wednesday.

Sergio Aguero's penalty conversion just before stoppage time gave City the win, while Nicolas Otamendi also scored for the Citizens. Lars Stindl scored for Monchengladbach, though the German side will be lamenting Raffael's failure to convert a penalty opportunity late in the first half.

City appeared dominant on the statsheet, holding 64 percent of possession, outshooting Monchengladbach 26-13 (7-6 on goal) and earning more corners (11-4), per ESPN FC. The German side was far brighter in large chunks of the contest, however, and was stymied by the brilliant play of 'keeper Joe Hart throughout.

The two sides exchanged early chances, though things really got interesting in the 18th minute.

Otamendi was shown a yellow for a foul in the box on Raffael, though it appeared to be a harsh call from the referee. It was a bizarre moment, as James Tyler of ESPN FC noted:

Hart wasn't keen to see his team go down a goal on a penalty, however, stopping Raffael's less than convincing effort into the bottom right corner. 

Fox Soccer on Twitter shared the save:

Of course, Hart has made it a bit of a habit to save penalties, per OptaJoe on Twitter:

Moments later, City nearly broke open the scoreless tie, as Raheem Sterling played a brilliant ball over the top of Monchengladbach's defense for Sergio Aguero. But the Argentine striker couldn't find the net, beating Yann Sommer with his right-footed shot but spinning the ball wide of the far post.

Hart was the story from there, making several excellent saves late in the first half to keep things even, including another stop on a Raffael effort. The first 45 was all about Hart bailing out his side, as Sky Sports Football noted:

The duel between Raffael and Hart continued just a minute into the second half, and again, Hart was the victor. This time, he saved Raffael's curling shot after the vibrant attacker was set free down the left and attempted to beat Hart at the far post, to no avail. 

Hart couldn't hold on forever, however.

With Monchengladbach continuing to look like the more dangerous side, the Germans finally broke through in the 54th minute. Julian Korb made a run down the right side and pulled back a low cross for Stindl in the middle of the box, who calmly sent his shot past a helpless Hart and just inside the near post.

Monchengladbach were bound to score one eventually, as Mark Ogden of the Telegraph noted:

History was also on Monchengladbach's side, per Squawka Football on Twitter:

To City's credit, they responded, scoring just over 10 minutes later. Actually, they technically scored twice.

The first goal wasn't acknowledged by the referee, as Martín Demichelis' effort after a corner was cleared off the line by a Monchengladbach defender. Replays would show that the ball went well over the line and should have been a goal, but City didn't quit on the play, keeping the ball in the danger area before Otamendi ripped a volley that was deflected into the net off Monchengladbach's Andreas Christensen.

Ironically, it would be a penalty that ultimately won the game for City just before stoppage time.

Not surprisingly, it was Aguero who was the hero after drawing a spot-kick in the 89th before stepping up and coolly slotting home the game's winning goal.

It was a harsh result for Monchengladbach, who were the better side for long stretches and, were it not for a heroic performance from Hart, probably would have put three or four goals home on the evening.

Post-Match Reaction

City manager Manuel Pellegrini admitted after the game that his side relied on "a bit of luck" to earn the three points, per BT Sport Football on Twitter: 

Monchengladbach's manager and players felt the team put its best foot forward even in the loss, meanwhile.

"We were extremely impressive, so the result is naturally very hard to take," manager Andre Schubert lamented, via the club's official Twitter account.

"We performed very well and showed that we don't need to hide in the Champions League," United States international Fabian Johnson added, looking for the silver lining.

Midfielder Patrick Herrmann agreed, noting "Even though we lost, I think we put in a fantastic performance that we can be proud of."

Monchengladbach will need more than pride to escape the group stage, however, as the German side is now alone at the bottom of the Group D table, which Juventus leads with six points, while City and Sevilla are even on three.

Up next for City will be another test against Sevilla, while Monchengladbach will likely need to take at least a point from Juventus to maintain any hope of advancing to the knockout phase.