Dani Alves’ late goal provided Barcelona the cushion of a commanding 2-0 advantage to take back to the Camp Nou after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
After City had concentrated on holding Barcelona in check, their defense crucially switched off early in the second half. Martin Demichelis conceded a penalty and was shown a red card for a foul on Lionel Messi in his desperate attempts to recover. City can certainly have just complaint about the award of a penalty, with the initial contact being outside the box. After going behind City displayed plenty of fighting spirit and even had chances to pull level, but the blow of Alves’ 90th minute strike leaves them with a monumental task to turn the tie around in the second leg.
City may feel hard done by given the contentious penalty award and the positive way in which they responded to going a goal and a man down. Yet their greater intent late on only sought to emphasize just how cautious they were for much of the encounter. Manuel Pellegrini had stated in the buildup that there would be no great alteration to the swashbuckling style that had made them the Premier League’s top scorers this season. With Alvaro Negredo starting alone up front and Aleksandar Kolarov playing in front of Gael Clichy, he did not prove true to his word.
Some mediation of their rampant attacking style could certainly have been anticipated against a side with the ability to dominated like Barcelona, yet City appeared to pay their opponents far too much respect. In Manchester City’s first ever Champions League knockout game, they played like young rookies rather than the experienced, internationally renowned stars that many of their players are. City simply lacked the boldness to expose the vulnerabilities that have been evident in Barcelona’s defense all season.
In contrast, Barcelona will be delighted with their evening’s work. In his first Champions League knockout game, Tata Martino was also cautious, selecting Cesc Fabregas in midfield and Andres Iniesta as one of the forwards in order to increase his side’s control. The strategy worked, although we will never know how they might have coped had City been more proactive.
More to follow.
Manchester City vs Barcelona 0-2 - All Goals... by allgoalshq1
VIDEO Barcelona 2-0 Manchester City: Highlights; Messi Penalty And Late Alves Goal Give Barca Advantage In Champions League Tie
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