Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham came to the rescue to earn a 1-1 draw against visitors Sevilla in their Champions League Group G match on Tuesday that sent Manchester City through to the next round and made the Germans wait longer to qualify.
Under new coach Jorge Sampaoli, who replaced Julen Lopetegui just five days ago, Sevilla delivered a much-improved performance from their 4-1 home loss to Dortmund last week, taking charge and grabbing an early lead through Tanguy Nianzou.
Dortmund, who had battled back from two goals down against Bayern Munich to draw 2-2 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, were on the backfoot for much of the match.
"It was not a good game from us," said Dortmund captain Mats Hummels. "After going 1-0 down we started playing a bit better. Football is a simple game and we make it complicated ourselves."
"After the break we lost possession at least 20 times. It has to be clear to some that football does not have to be sexy but that a player must do the right thing and not sometimes only the special thing."
Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic fired over the bar in the 12th minute but he turned provider and delivered a perfect assist six minutes later, floating a free kick into the box for Nianzou to power in a header.
The hosts, needing a win to secure their spot in the next round, took the fight to Sevilla and levelled in the 35th through in-form Bellingham.
The England international volleyed home from a well-executed move down the right wing to become only the third teenager to score in four consecutive Champions League matches after Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Sevilla again enjoyed the better start after the break though and should have done better in the 67th minute when Erik Lamela's close-range effort was smothered by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with the save of the match.
The result means City, top on 10 points after their earlier 0-0 draw at FC Copenhagen, are certain of a top two finish with two rounds of matches remaining.
Dortmund, second on seven points, will look to seal their spot in the knockout stage when they host City on Oct. 25. Third-placed Sevilla, level on two points with Copenhagen, still have a slim chance of reaching the last 16.