Champions League Round of 16: Manchester City Edge Past Bayern Munich in Thriller

Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League quarterfinals with a heart-stopping 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich at the Etihad Stadium, completing a 5-4 aggregate triumph that will be remembered as one of the great Round of 16 ties in recent memory.

Erling Haaland proved to be the hero once again for Pep Guardiola's side, scoring the decisive goal in the 89th minute after Bayern had fought back from a two-goal deficit to level the tie at 4-4 on aggregate. The Norwegian striker's 31st goal of the season came at the perfect moment, sending the home crowd into raptures and keeping City's treble dreams alive.

"This is why we play football," Guardiola said after the match. "These are the moments that define champions. Bayern pushed us to our absolute limit, but our players showed incredible character and quality when it mattered most."

The match began explosively, with Kevin De Bruyne opening the scoring in the 12th minute with a trademark curling effort from outside the box. Phil Foden doubled the advantage just before halftime, capitalizing on a defensive error from Dayot Upamecano to slot home his 18th goal of the campaign.

Bayern, trailing 3-1 from the first leg, needed a miracle and nearly found one through the brilliance of Jamal Musiala. The German international scored twice in the second half, first with a stunning solo effort in the 58th minute, then with a close-range finish in the 74th minute that had the away fans dreaming of an impossible comeback.

The tie seemed destined for extra time until Haaland struck in the dying moments, meeting a perfectly weighted cross from substitute Julian Alvarez to send City through. The goal was Haaland's 12th in the Champions League this season, keeping him on pace to challenge Cristiano Ronaldo's single-season record.

"We knew it would be difficult, but we believed until the very end," Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel reflected. "Sometimes in football, the margins are so small. We played with courage and came so close to something special."

City now await Friday's quarterfinal draw, where they could face the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, or surprise package Napoli as they continue their quest for European glory.