Manchester City came from two goals down to beat Bayern Munich away from home in their final game in Group D of the Champions League.
The hosts were 2-0 up inside 12 minutes with goals from Thomas Muller Mario Gotze, although City managed to pull one back before the break through David Silva.
In the second half the English side were far better with goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and James Milner putting them ahead, but they could not find the final goal needed to top the group.
Read how the action unfolded below.
Hello European football fans! The Champions League is back and we have the final round of games from Groups A-D tonight. I'll be bringing you updates from the Allianz Arena, where holders Bayern Munich take on Manchester City.
First things first, I'll bring the teams right over to you. It's all change for City with no fewer than seven alterations to the starting XI.
BAYERN XI: Neuer; Lahm, Dante, Boateng, Alaba; Thiago; Ribery, Gotze, Muller, Kroos; Mandzukic
Bayern bench: Starke, Van Buyten, Rafinha, Contento, Martinez, Shaqiri, Pizarro
CITY XI: Hart; Kolarov, Lescott, Demichelis, Richards; Fernandinho, Garcia; Milner, Silva, Navas; Dzeko
City bench: Pantilimon, Kompany, Zabaleta, Negredo, Aguero, Rodwell, Boyata
You could call this one a dead rubber, but you can see from the lineup that Pep Guardiola wants to make it six from six. He has a squad of players who are used to winning and this is a full-strength side he has put out today.
They would even win the group with a defeat today - as long as it was by two goals or under. Mario Mandzukic leads the line tonight, with what can only be described as a ludicrously good mifield behind him. There's no Javi Martinez - he is only on the bench - but with Thiago as the anchor alongside Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Mario Gotze? Well that spells trouble for any side in world football - even without Arjen Robben.
Bayern have won - not just avoided defeat in - their last 18 games here. It's a daunting task for any side, especially one with seven changes. This is what Pellegrini has done tonight - with a few of his better players on the bench. It's still a strong team, but not the best he could have picked.
The Chilean might well have one eye on the weekend's game against Arsenal. Vincent Kompany, Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero are all on the bench. Javi Garcia, David Silva, Jesus Navas and Ediz Dzeko are the midfielders and attackers who come into the XI, with Joe Hart also back in. Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards are selected in defence.
Bayern are beginning to run away with the Bundesliga already. They have the impressive Bayer Leverkusen just four points behind, but biggest rivals Borussia Dortmund are 10 points back. They are fresh from a 7-0 hammering of Werder Bremen on Saturday.
They also have not conceded in their last four in the league. City's task could not be much greater, but really it doesn't matter a great deal if they are beaten. A win might force people to question whether Bayern can retain it, but really they are the huge favourites.
City need a three-goal victory to top the group, but Bayern have conceded just two so far in the competition. That includes the one they let in during the impressive 3-1 win back in Manchester. There is no shame in coming second to this team, of course!
City have already achieved their best Champions League group stage result with their 12 points from five games. Of course, they have some way to go to match the record that Bayern set after the last matchday - 10 consecutive wins. With another eight to go, there is no reason why that cannot be 18 in a row by the end of the season.
If City do want goals they should probably have looked at Negredo to start today. He has been their most threatening player so far with five goals from as many appearances. Today the onus is on the forgotten man Edin Dzeko.
One man who is fully focused on victory - as always - is Bayern coach Guardiola. He wants to become the first coach to achieve maximum group stage points with Bayern.
"We have to keep the positive tension high. We want 18 points from the group stage for the first time in our history. That's a good target," he said in the pre-match press conference.
City's away woes this season are well known. But let's just take another quick look. They have won just once in their last four away games in the Premier League, although they have won both their previous away games here in Group D.
Let's take a look at the last-minute odds with just over five minutes until we get underway. Naturally, Bayern are the heavy favourites and you'd do well to get better than 2/5 for them. City can be backed at 7/1 if you are brave/silly enough to bet on them.
PREDICTION: But what do I think, I hear you ask? I think Bayern are going to win. I know! City's best chance will be to start well, but I can see Bayern taking it 3-1. They are just too strong at the moment - for anyone, not just City.
The players are out on the pitch It's a fine atmosphere. It's the Champions League! There will be another tribute to Nelson Mandela, who passed away on Thursday, in the form of a banner on the pitch.
KICKOFF: Here we go then. The visitors get us underway for what should be a fine game of football.
Early free kick for the hosts, but it's cleared and as City look to break Manuel Neuer is off his line rapidly to sweep up. Then there's an awful backpass from Lescott, who doesn't find Hart and instead gives away a corner.
GOAL! Bayern 1-0 City (Thomas Muller)
Well Guardiola doesn't look impressed but that's a very good goal. Dante pings a ball from the left side just inside his own half across field to Muller. The German cuts in from the wing, chests the ball down and then fires into the bottom corner with his left foot. A great goal.
It's no more than Bayern deserve as well. They started much more comfortable on the ball and have scored with the first real chance. Lescott in particular is really struggling as he brings down Ribery with a barge in the side.
First save of the game from Hart, and it's comfortable enough. Dante all too easily outjumps Garcia to meet the free kick from Gotze, but his low header is easily saved down low by Hart. City really cannot get on the ball.
GOAL! Bayern 2-0 City (Mario Gotze)
More awful defending from Lescott. Ribery drives towards the box and finds Lahm to his right. The right-back crosses and Ribery eventually hits the post, winning a corner. From it no-one at all is near Mandzukic, who scuffs a shot which falls to Gotze, who is allowed the space to turn and poke in. It's an utter shambles at the back from City.
CITY SUB: Finally City do something well. James Milner gets what must be his first touch, but his shot is comfortable for Neuer, who parries away. Micah Richards has been forced off, with Pablo Zabaleta on. Richards just had to sprint back to make a tackle, which I'm sure has made the injury he picked up a few minutes ago worse.
Good play against from Bayern. Thiago holds it up in the middle before spraying a through ball to Alaba down the left, whose cross is cleared behind with Mandzukic trying to meet it. Nothing comes from the corner.
Barely any of City's attacking players have seen the ball at the moment. Kroos tries his luck from about 25 yards out, but Hart is comfortably behind his effort.
It's so, so comfortable for Bayern. They have currently had 57% of the possession, which actually seems a little low to me. They probe patiently and switch the play to Ribery down the left, who weaves and twists before finally losing the ball to Zabaleta.
Fernandinho has what is only City's second effort. It wasn't really a chance, as Silva lays it across to him but his left-footed effort from 25 yards is comfortably over the bar.
GOAL! Bayern 2-1 City (David Silva)
It won't be his best goal, but Silva has got City back in this. Zabaleta crosses from the right and it goes through to Milner at the far post, who heads across goal for Silva to sweep in through Neuer's legs.
Suddenly City are able to find each other with their passes. Dzeko with a nice back-heel to Silva, but as the ball goes back and then towards the box Boateng hacks the ball clear against his former club.
Thiago is really anchoring the hosts well. He is the start of every attack and is even looking to get forward to support the forwards. That's the difference between him and Martinez - the latter will just sit in front of the back four and offer more solidity.
Silva is definitely City's key player at the moment. He switches the focus of play with his side under a bit of pressure down the left, and but for a poor cross from Navas they might have had a chance. At the other end, Lescott slides in on Ribery and concedes a corner.
It is a shame for City there that Milner is so one-footed. He played a lovely one-two with Silva, but with Navas and Dzeko breaking into the box he does not fancy the left-footed cross and instead cuts back, which wastes the chance. This is better from them, though.
BOOKING: All the Bayern players can create extra time and space on the ball with the touch they all possess. That said, Thiago is crowded out on the edge of the box, with Dzeko getting back well, before Navas is tugged by Dante, who is the first player booked.
BOOKING: He is quickly followed into the book by Dzeko, whose foot was high on the centre-back. Both yellows were fair. Just a few minutes to go until the break - it's been excellent so far.
SAVE! Good stop from Hart, but the defence again were all over the place. Ribery's reverse ball to Gotze finds him with just Hart to beat, but from the angle the keeper wins the battle and gets the goal kick as the ball came back off the midfielder.
BOOKING: Another card and Milner will now miss the next game. He went in on Thiago with his studs showing and that's the right decision to book him.
CHANCE! Muller wanted just a little too much time. He plays some neat football with Ribery and instead of letting the ball come across he takes it on his right foot, which allowed Demichelis in to block.
HALF-TIME: Bayern Munich 2-1 Manchester City
So it's half time in Munich and Bayern hold a well-earned lead. After just 12 minutes it was looking like being a rout, but City responded when they went 2-1 down and pulled one back. This one is not over, although it should now see Bayern top the group.
Bayern started like a house on fire. City barely touched the ball in the opening 10 minutes and after 12 were 2-0 down. The opening goal was fantastic - Dante's cross-field ball was chested down and finished really well by Muller.
Bayern's second was down to really awful defending from a corner, and it took going 2-0 down for City to start to play. Zabaleta, on for Richards, crossed deep from the right and Milner's headed cut-back was swept in by Silva from close range.
STATISTICS:
Possession: 55-45
Shots: 7-4
On target: 7-2
Corners: 7-0
UPDATE: In the other game in the group, it's 0-0 between Viktoria Plzen and CSKA Moscow.
We're back underway for the second half. Can City continue their improvement and get level?
Slight opening early on there for Navas. It's quite route one, but was nearly effective: Fernandinho clips in the air to Dzeko, who chests down for Navas but the Spaniard's shot from just outside the box hit Dante.
Bayern break at pace with Alaba set away down the left by Ribery. Zabaleta did really well to keep with him and block his cross behind. From the corner Dzeko heads away and Kroos goes all the way back to Lahm. Muller's cross from the right is headed up into the air and then back to the goalkeeper from Kolarov.
SAVE: Milner does well on the left to get almost to the byline and cut in a cross. It's met by the left foot of Dzeko and although he catches it well Neuer is down to block it and then hang on.
BAYERN SUB: Off comes Gotze and on is Javi Martinez. That should see Thiago move more advanced with his Spanish teammate going into the anchor role. It has been a bit of a slow start to the half, in truth.
City, though, are looking the better team at the moment. This half they are pressing much higher and Bayern are less than comfortable on the ball at the moment. The same is happening to them, however, which has led to most of the play being in the middle.
PENALTY TO CITY!
GOAL! Bayern 2-2 City (Aleksandar Kolarov, pen)
It's a cool penalty from Kolarov, who waits for Neuer's dive before putting it the other way. But should it have been given? The contact from Dante's challenge on Milner is probably minimal, but he was reaching for the ball and was always running the risk. Now then, if City score two more they win the group.
What a brilliant cross from Alaba! He's quite wide on the left but fizzes the ball right where strikers love it. However, there is no-one except Muller at the far post attacking it.
GOAL! Bayern 2-3 City (James Milner)
That is absolutely shocking defending but a really fine finish. Silva first sprays the ball wide to Navas, whose cross is somehow left by Boateng as he tries to clear it. Milner, arriving at the far post, slots it into the bottom corner with a really nice touch. City now need just one!
What's more, there's plenty of time for them to do it. Bayern are looking fallible at the moment, as well as very poor in attack as Dante wins a header from a Kroos free kick but directs it well wide.
The home fans have been stunned into silence, and I can understand why. In the first 15 minutes City were woeful and it was a case of how many Bayern can score. However, they now lead and Bayern's 10-game winning Champions League run is looking under threat.
UPDATE: In the other game in the group, CSKA are 1-0 up although are also down to 10 men. Back here, Xherdan Shaqiri comes on for Mandzukic. Gotze is off too, of course, which means that presumably Muller will go up front.
Bayern are seeing a bit more of the ball now, but their crosses are not finding the target. City look to break and Silva is clattered by Martinez as he looks to get past him. He's taken a couple of knocks and might well be subbed soon so he is fresh for Arsenal.
CITY SUB: Indeed Silva does come off and he has been crucial to his side's comeback. On comes Alvaro Negredo to bully the shaky Bayern back-line some.
City are being forced back a little now, although Bayern still haven't created anything this half. They have a series of corners here, but up to now City have dealt with them well in this half. A third one in a row arrives as Kolarov heads behind.
BOOKING: Fernandinho clatters Kroos and rightly goes into the book. Alaba comes down the left again but has not been able to find his teammates - another cross is blocked out of play.
CHANCE! Dante almost gifts City another goal. He completely misjudges his control running back towards his own goal, which allows Negredo in, but he's forced wide by the Brazilian and his shot from an angle is kept out by Neuer.
BOOKING: Zabaleta now goes into the book for hauling down RIbery, who finally did him for pace. Dangerous free kick this.
Ribery wants a penalty as he bundles over between Zabaleta and Garcia. There was some sizing up going on, but no studs out or lingering legs. Good call.
CITY SUB: Dzeko, who has run a lot but not done much otherwise, makes way for Jack Rodwell. Pellegrini is not going for this final goal then? Muller holds it in the corner. At 3-2 down at home.
Two minutes of added time have been indicated. That seems low for a match with several substitutions.
Later corner here for Bayern, and this should be it as they ping it about.
FULL-TIME: Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City
Well, well, well. City have turned around a 2-0 deficit to beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena! A fantastic turnaround, but they needed 4-2 in order to win the group. They won't mind too much, as they have proven that Bayern can be beaten.
That's all from me here, but stick around on site for results and reaction to all tonight's Champions League football. I will have analysis of City's remarkable win in around half an hour. Goodbye.
Written by
Matt Domm
Matt Domm
