Barcelona achieved a valuable 1-2 away win against Manchester City in the away leg of the last-16 round in the Champions League. Luis Suarez scored the goals for the Blaugrana, who enjoyed 62 percent of possession, created 14 goalscoring chances and attempted 10 shots, six of them on target.
Luis Enrique fielded his preferred eleven for the most important match of the European season so far. The result was spectacular, with the Catalans playing a fantastic. commanding first half to be proud of. Their intensity, focus and discipline allowed them to pile the pressure from beginning to end. The 0-2 advantage at the break was fully deserved.
Manchester City stepped it up a gear during the second half, asking more questions of Barca’s defence, especially from set pieces. However, Barca managed to grab a well-deserved victory which will definitely provide a solid base to build on during the second leg. Sure, things would be looking even better if Lionel Messi had converted that last-minute penalty but, overall, this result is still positive regardless.
Player Ratings (1-10; 10=best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):
GK Marc Andre Ter Stegen, 8
DF Dani Alves, 6
DF Javier Mascherano, 8
DF Gerard Pique, 8
DF Jordi Alba, 8
MF Sergio Busquets, 6
MF Andres Iniesta, 9
MF Ivan Rakitic, 8
FW Neymar Jr, 7
FW Luis Suarez, 9 – Man of the Match – Fantastic to see the Uruguayan striker grab the headlines with a textbook, pure striker performance: Being at the right place at the right time, taking advantage of the few chances he found himself at the end of. A decisive performance which will boost his confidence even further. Looking forward to even more and better from Barca’s No.9 in the near future, way to go!
FW Lionel Messi, 8
Substitutes:
Adriano, 6
Mathieu, n/a
Pedro, n/a
Now it’s your turn: What did you think of Barca’s performance? Do you agree with the ratings? Will this result be enough to qualify for the next round?
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