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İlkay Gündoğan celebrates one of his two goals against Barcelona.

İlkay Gündoğan

İlkay Gündoğan

Manchester City badge.

Gündoğan and City shock Barcelona

Manchester City played one of their best-ever matches as they beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Champions League. It didn't look good for the Premier League leaders in the first half when Lionel Messi scored the opening goal after a wonderful counter-attack from Barcelona. City manager, Pep Guardiola, said after the match, 'for 38 minutes we saw the best team in the world'. However, a mistake by a Barcelona defender gave City the chance to equalise just before half-time. Sergio Aguero collected a loose ball, passed to Raheem Sterling, who crossed for İlkay Gündoğan to finish. It was a big boost for City and in the second half, they were the stronger team. In the 51st minute, City went ahead through a fantastic free-kick from Kevin De Bruyne. Barcelona came close to an equaliser when they hit the crossbar but it was City who looked more likely to score more goals and, in the 74th minute, City's third and Gündoğan's second arrived. City players and fans celebrated a famous win and must now be thinking how far they can go in this season's Champions League? 

İlkay Gündoğan equalises for City against Barcelona.

The second half was incredible. We dominated Barcelona in the second half and had a few more chances to score. It was an incredible night for everyone.  Ilkay Gündoğan​.

How good is Gündoğan?

City fans celebrate in front of a disappointed Lionel Messi.

Ilkay Gündoğan probably played his best match yet in a Manchester City shirt. He scored twice and showed amazing energy throughout the ninety minutes. His passing was also terrific. He completed 96% of the 28 passes he played during the match. He showed how important it is for a team to have runners arriving in the penalty area from midfield. His goals were not difficult but he had to be in the right place at the right time to score. Gündoğan's two goals against Barcelona mean it's now four goals in two games for the German midfielder. He scored two against West Brom in City's 4-0 away win last weekend. Against West Brom, Gündoğan also set up a goal for Aguero and is starting to look like the long-term replacement for Yaya Toure in City's midfield.

Today is a good step. We played against a great team and we competed. Now, my players will realise, 'wow, we won against the best team'.  Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola.

What do we know about Ilkay Gündoğan ?

Gündoğan celebrates one of his two goals against West Brom last weekend.

Ilkay Gündoğan was born on 24 October 1990 in Gelsenkirchen, a city in the west of Germany with a population of around 260,000. Gündoğan 's parents were both born in Turkey and he has described the decision to play international football for Germany rather than Turkey as one of the most difficult decisions of his career. Gündoğan's home city is quite famous for Turkish-German players, the ex-Turkey captain, Hamit Altintop, and Arsenal's German World Cup winner, Mesut Ozil, were both born in Gelsenkirchen. Gündoğan started his professional career with Bochum's reserve team but his career started to move forward when he signed for FC Nurnberg in the German Bundesliga. But, he really made his name with Borussia Dortmund, he played for Dortmund 157 times over five seasons and won the League title, German Cup and reached the final of the Champions League in 2012/13. Playing under the now Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund beat Real Madrid in the semi-finals but lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in the final despite Gündoğan scoring the equaliser. In June 2016, Gündoğan became Pep Guardiola's first signing for Manchester City when City paid Dortmund about £20 million for his signature.

I am just as proud of my Turkish roots as I am of my German heritage. Ilkay Gündoğan​.

Gündoğan points to the fans.

Can City win the Champions League?

Manchester City had one of their greatest European nights by beating Barcelona 3-1, but can they now be described as one of the favourites to win the competition? City not only beat Barcelona but they were also the better team and could have scored more goals. Ilkay Gündoğan was fantastic but Kevin De Bruyne also had a great match and with players like Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling in the side they are always going to score goals. City also have one of the best managers in world football - Pep Guardiola. Despite these positives, City are still inexperienced in Europe. They have never reached the final of the Champions League and this was the first time they have beaten Barcelona in six attempts. City look great going forward but is their defence good enough to win the Champions League? Tell us what you think in the vote at the bottom of the page.

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What do you think?

Manchester City beat Barcelona 3-1. Did you watch the match? What did you think to City's performance? Can they win the Champions League?

Who do you think will win the Champions League this season? What about Arsenal, Spurs and Leicester? Can they do it?

Ilkay Gundogan has four goals in his last two matches. What do you know about him? Is he better than Yaya Toure?

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
03/10/2022
TR
5552
points

I would like to see teams that have more runners on the pitch for a spectacular matches not the players who are walking.


hsn's picture
hsn
03/10/2022 16:18
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5552

I would like to see teams that have more runners on the pitch for a spectacular matches not the players who are walking.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020
TR
6536
points

Ilkay Gundogan is a good player but he is nowhere near Yaya Toure's level at all with all the respect to him.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020 16:50
Turkey
Manchester United
6536

Ilkay Gundogan is a good player but he is nowhere near Yaya Toure's level at all with all the respect to him.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020
TR
6536
points

I watched the game and City was exceptional.
They had no experience at that time but nowadays I think they can do it.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020 16:49
Turkey
Manchester United
6536

I watched the game and City was exceptional.
They had no experience at that time but nowadays I think they can do it.

phhchuong123
25/06/2017
VN
325
points

Yes, I watched the match.I think City performed quite good but they can't win the Champions League.I think Real Madrid or Juventus will win Champions League.Leicester may be better than the other team in England.Ilkay Gundogan is from Turkey and played for Schalke 04 in his youth team.He will better than Yaya Toure in the future.


phhchuong123
25/06/2017 12:12
Vietnam
Manchester United
325

Yes, I watched the match.I think City performed quite good but they can't win the Champions League.I think Real Madrid or Juventus will win Champions League.Leicester may be better than the other team in England.Ilkay Gundogan is from Turkey and played for Schalke 04 in his youth team.He will better than Yaya Toure in the future.

Siava's picture
Siava
22/12/2016
UA
181
points

I think City should go forward to the quater-finals of CL by winning Monaco!
But I'm not sure they're strong enough to win this competition.


Siava's picture
Siava
22/12/2016 22:03
Ukraine
Liverpool
181

I think City should go forward to the quater-finals of CL by winning Monaco!
But I'm not sure they're strong enough to win this competition.

juanjava
21/11/2016
CO
44
points

Actually Gundogan is one of the best players that have Germany, however he was a player with a lot of injuries when he played in Dortmund. I think that he could replace Toure, have a lot of skills to be a first class player.


juanjava
21/11/2016 23:27
Colombia
Tottenham Hotspur
44

Actually Gundogan is one of the best players that have Germany, however he was a player with a lot of injuries when he played in Dortmund. I think that he could replace Toure, have a lot of skills to be a first class player.

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
19/11/2016
PS
3705
points

I knew whim ell when he was playing for Dortmund,i think that they are both at the same level,it is difficult to compare between them.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
19/11/2016 11:34
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

I knew whim ell when he was playing for Dortmund,i think that they are both at the same level,it is difficult to compare between them.

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
19/11/2016
PS
3705
points

I think it will be Bayern,Atletico or Madrid.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
19/11/2016 11:33
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

I think it will be Bayern,Atletico or Madrid.

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
19/11/2016
PS
3705
points

Yes i watched it,they played very well and deserved to win,i do not think they will win the league but they can reach high levels of the competition.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
19/11/2016 11:32
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

Yes i watched it,they played very well and deserved to win,i do not think they will win the league but they can reach high levels of the competition.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
08/11/2016
DZ
3988
points

1.I really think that City can win the Champions League as well as the Premier League.
2.Arsenal can do it but not Leicester or the Spurs
3.Gundogan has the energy and resilience to make a great football story and may be able to catch up with Yaya Toure.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
08/11/2016 16:03
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

1.I really think that City can win the Champions League as well as the Premier League.
2.Arsenal can do it but not Leicester or the Spurs
3.Gundogan has the energy and resilience to make a great football story and may be able to catch up with Yaya Toure.

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016
GH
4779
points

I don't think Gundogan is better than Yaya Toure.
I believe Toure is better because of the number of trophies he has helped his teams win.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016 11:08
Ghana
Manchester United
4779

I don't think Gundogan is better than Yaya Toure.
I believe Toure is better because of the number of trophies he has helped his teams win.

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016
GH
4779
points

I think Juventus might win the league.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016 11:06
Ghana
Manchester United
4779

I think Juventus might win the league.

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016
GH
4779
points

Am not too convenienced that city is winning the champions league this season.
I believe they can do better next season.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016 11:05
Ghana
Manchester United
4779

Am not too convenienced that city is winning the champions league this season.
I believe they can do better next season.

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016
GH
4779
points

I think city's performance was on point


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
06/11/2016 11:03
Ghana
Manchester United
4779

I think city's performance was on point

LiamLiverpool
06/11/2016
VN
242
points

İlkay Gündory good because Gündoğan scored 4goals/2matches.


LiamLiverpool
06/11/2016 08:02
Vietnam
Burnley FC
242

İlkay Gündory good because Gündoğan scored 4goals/2matches.

aragorn1986's picture
aragorn1986
04/11/2016
ME
3557
points

Yaya is better I think. But I've been watching Gundogan while he was playing for Dortmund and I can say he is very talented player, one of the most precious runners in the PL.


aragorn1986's picture
aragorn1986
04/11/2016 18:52
Montenegro
Arsenal
3557

Yaya is better I think. But I've been watching Gundogan while he was playing for Dortmund and I can say he is very talented player, one of the most precious runners in the PL.

aragorn1986's picture
aragorn1986
04/11/2016
ME
3557
points

I watched City with my friends and I had feeling that they are going to win this time. They started playing their game but they are not my favourite in the CL. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are more likely to win this competition.


aragorn1986's picture
aragorn1986
04/11/2016 18:48
Montenegro
Arsenal
3557

I watched City with my friends and I had feeling that they are going to win this time. They started playing their game but they are not my favourite in the CL. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are more likely to win this competition.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/11/2016
UA
6562
points

Bayern, Arsenal or Juventus are likely to win the Champions League this season.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/11/2016 19:37
Ukraine
Liverpool
6562

Bayern, Arsenal or Juventus are likely to win the Champions League this season.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/11/2016
UA
6562
points

I think City's performance is not quite steady, so they are not likely to win the Champions League.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/11/2016 12:07
Ukraine
Liverpool
6562

I think City's performance is not quite steady, so they are not likely to win the Champions League.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6562
2mobeckham6536
3hsn5552
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74670
2Ukraine33800
3Spain29306
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23326
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20405
8Turkey20047
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146517
2Liverpool111048
3Chelsea90031
4Arsenal86213
5Manchester City58633
6Tottenham Hotspur19335
7Newcastle United10545
8West Ham United7637
9AFC Bournemouth4887
10Everton4533

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

In this article, you will:

Practise reading.

Learn more about Manchester City's German midfielder, İlkay Gündoğan, and learn some new vocabulary.