UCL: Gvardiol Heads Leipzig Level With Man City In 1-1 First Leg Draw

Manchester City drew 1-1 with RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night at the Red Bull Arena.

Pep Guardiola's men dominated the opening exchanges of the game, with Riyad Mahrez putting City ahead in the 27th minute after intercepting a weak pass from Xaver Schlager before finishing calmly.

City had several chances to double their lead before halftime, with Rodri missing a golden opportunity to score when he was left unmarked at the far post. The Premier League champions went into the break with a 1-0 lead, but Leipzig came out fighting in the second half.

Leipzig started the second half with more energy and intent, and their persistence paid off in the 64th minute when defender Gvardiol outjumped Ruben Dias and headed in a cross from Marcel Halstenberg to equalize.

The home side continued to put City under pressure and almost scored a winner through Andre Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai, but City's goalkeeper, Ederson, was up to the task.

At the end of the game, City had a strong penalty shout when the ball appeared to hit Benjamin Henrichs's hand in the box, but the referee waved play on. City had 74% possession and almost double the number of their opponent's attacks, but they couldn't find a way past Leipzig's defence again.

The draw marks the second consecutive game in all competitions that City has failed to win, following their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday. Guardiola praised his team's performance after the match, saying that he had a feeling that the game would be decided in the second leg.

The second leg of the tie will take place on March 14 at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, with both teams still in contention for a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.