“I won the ball fairly” – Jude Bellingham frustrated after having goal disallowed against Manchester City

Jude Bellingham was left frustrated after having his goal controversially disallowed during the first leg of Borussia Dortmund’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Manchester City.

Bellingham dispossessed goalkeeper Ederson on the edge of the Manchester City box during the first half, leaving him with an empty net to score into. But before he could celebrate what would have been a deserved equaliser, referee Ovidiu Hategan blew his whistle, and adjudged that the Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s tackle on Ederson was a foul.

"“I definitely think I won the ball fairly,” Bellingham said after the game. “It’s a bit frustrating at a time when they’ve got so many cameras and so many TVs watching the game that they don’t wait for me to put it in the net and then check it.”“All I got told was that I got booked and it’s going to be a free-kick for them. I think they should have checked it but apparently I had my studs up, caught the goalie and it was a foul.”"

The referee’s whistle came before Bellingham scored, which meant that VAR could not be used to take another look at the incident. The 17 year old was even booked and Borussia Dortmund were denied what would have been a priceless away goal.

Jadon Sancho, who missed the game with a muscle injury, also criticised the referee’s decision. “This Ref needs checking,” Sancho wrote on Twitter after Bellingham’s goal was disallowed.

The first leg ended 2-1 in Manchester City’s favour, with Phil Foden scoring a late winner after Marco Reus had equalised for Borussia Dortmund. And one can’t help but feel how different the final scoreline would have looked, had Bellingham’s goal not been wrongly ruled out.

“It’s only half-time now” – Edin Terzic optimistic despite Borussia Dortmund’s first leg defeat

Despite the defeat, Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic was pleased with the way his side played over the course of the 90 minutes. He added that the Black and Yellows are still very much in the tie, and they will give their all to overturn the first leg defeat next week.

"“We did a lot of things very well, gave away very little and were able to cause them problems ourselves,” Terzic said. “In the end we’re obviously disappointed that we lost the match. We showed a good reaction. We fought well. But we’re not done yet. It’s only half-time now. The tie is still open. We’ll be ready to give it our all to overturn the result and reach the next round.”"

Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City face off in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal at the Signal Iduna Park next Wednesday.