Manchester City paid the price for a lapse in concentration after Barcelona took command of their Champions League last 16 tie by winning 2-0 in the first leg at the Etihad.
Lionel Messi and Dani Alves scored the goals to leave City with an uphill task to reach the quarter-finals after they played the majority of the second half with 10 men after Martin Demichelis was sent off for bringing down Messi in the penalty area for the opening goal
Gerardo Martino fielded a lineup similar to the one that did what was necessary at Anoeta to secure Barcelona's advance to the Copa del Rey Final. The only two changes to the starting XI compared to that game were the obvious change in goal, where Victor Valdes got the nod, with the other change coming in the front three where Alexis Sanchez replaced Pedro.
On paper this was a mouthwatering match-ups with both teams possessing electrifying offenses. That coupled with both teams occasionally struggling on the defensive side of the ball many were expecting a goal-fest. It turned out to be anything but.
Manchester City started the game from midfield, but it was Barcelona who utterly dominated the ball in the early going. The hosts seemed to have no problem giving Barça the ball. City also didn't pressure the ball carrier much until the ball came within the 30-yard line which gave Barcelona plenty of time to move the ball around. However, with little room between the City lines the passes were too slow to open up the defense.
In the opening 10 minutes Manchester City only once came close to Valdes' penalty area, when Pablo Zabaleta eluded Jordi Alba on a quick counter, but the Argentinian's cross was calmly cleared by his national team teammate, Javier Mascherano.
Barcelona simply didn't allow the hosts to "step on the ball" and organize an attack from the back. The high pressure was on for Barcelona and Manchester City struggled to string together more than four or five passes.
But they didn't always need that many passes to threaten, something they showed in the 15th minute. A high ball was sent into the Barcelona penalty area from a deep position that appeared to be controlled by Alvaro Negredo. But Mascherano was in a good position once again to calmly clear the ball to an open teammate. Soon thereafter Yaya Toure went on a run similar to the one in the 2008-09 Copa del Rey Final against Athletic Bilbao from which a dangerous cross was sent in but didn't yield a goal.
City slowly started to take control of the match in these minutes as they were able to rather easily create chances. In the 19th minute David Silva created a great chance for Negredo, but Gerard Pique excellently forced the former Sevilla man wide into an angle from which he had no chance to score.
Barcelona's deficiencies on set-pieces have been well documented in recent weeks and City's best chance so far (arguably of the game) came in the 25th minute after a Silva free kick. Valdes whiffed on the punch-out attempt which allowed a header on goal. But the header had a high arc as it reached cross-like heights, falling down right in front of goal where Valdes made up for his mistake and recovered the ball.
Then came Barcelona's minutes again with the Catalans creating a few chances in a short time. First a lovely one-two between Messi and Andres Iniesta gave Iniesta some space but good defending by Yaya didn't allow the Barcelona midfielder to take the shot. Then Xavi surprised everybody but Joe Hart with a 25-yard drive that the England international produced an excellent saved.
Teams exchanged offensive zone time in the final 10 minutes of the half, though the hosts looked the more dangerous side. Negredo especially looked like a man on a mission connecting with just about every cross that came near him (and with those that didn't), but he wasn't able to threaten the Barcelona goal.
The entertaining, but slightly unfulfilling first half came to a scoreless end the very second the clock struck 45 minutes.
Both sides came out in the second half with the same line-up they started the game with. Manchester City quickly threatened through Negredo, but the Barcelona defensive line was up to the early task. Barça then started to assert their domination of the ball once again and quickly the Catalans were able to create dangerous rushes, but at first without any result.
However, that changed in the 53rd minute when Iniesta sent a brilliant through pass to Messi who escaped the defense. Martín Demichelis was giving chase and attempted to dispossess Messi with a diving tackle but caught Messi instead. As the last defender Demichelis was showed a straight red card, but a penalty was also awarded even though the replay showed that the initial contact might have come a few inches outside of the penalty box. Messi stepped up to take the penalty and calmly slotted it into the back of the net.
Despite being a man down City remained dangerous. They created a couple half chances near the one hour mark when Barcelona misplaced a few too many passes, but first Pique and then Alba made good plays to stop the potentially dangerous chances.
Barça also remained dangerous though their job wasn't made any easier with the Demichelis dismissal. City stayed organized in defense, but chances were still there to take advantage of. First Xavi had a shot on goal from about 15-yards out, but his shot sailed over the crossbar, and then about a minute later an even better chance fell into the arms of Alves. The Brazilian and Alexis played a brilliant one-two which allowed Dani to get right to the goal, but his shot whistled wide of the far post.
The hosts created another very good scoring opportunity in the 75th minute when Zabaleta found Silva in the penalty box. Silva wasted no time to take a shot on goal, but Valdes was in perfect position and made the save look easier than it was. Before that chance Tata Martino made his first substitution of the game, replacing Alexis with Neymar.
In the 81st minute Barcelona appeared to have doubled the lead after a brilliant pass by Xavi to Cesc who squared it to Pique in the middle. With the goalkeeper already out of the picture Pique simply tapped the ball in, but the play was whistled dead for offside. The replay, however, showed that Pique only appeared to be offside when the pass was going to Cesc, who was onside at the time, which shouldn't have resulted in the whistle.
Five minutes before the end of regulation Tata pulled Cesc to the bench, replacing him with Sergi Roberto.
Manchester City pressed once again in the last phase of the game, pinning Barcelona into their defensive zone for a couple minutes. But they only had a corner kick, their first of the match, to show for despite creating a lot of buzz around the penalty area.
Though Alves made sure that it would be Barcelona that would have the last say in the game. It appeared to come slightly out of nowhere, but suddenly Alves was once again alone in front of Hart. But this time the Brazilian wasn't going to make the same mistake he made earlier in the game as he scored through the legs of the keeper to secure Barcelona a commanding 2-0 lead going into the second leg which will be played at the Camp Nou on 12 March.
Plenty of football will be played until that point and anything can still happen in the second leg, but Barcelona are now clear favorites to advance to the next round of the competition. Until then the Catalans will have to focus on the Spanish league where on Saturday a tough challenge awaits as Barcelona returns to the Anoeta to face Real Sociedad.
Manchester City paid the price for a lapse in concentration after Barcelona took command of their Champions League last 16 tie by winning 2-0 in the first leg at the Etihad.
Lionel Messi and Dani Alves scored the goals to leave City with an uphill task to reach the quarter-finals after they played the majority of the second half with 10 men after Martin Demichelis was sent off for bringing down Messi in the penalty area for the opening goal.
Ibrahimovic leads PSG rout
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a fine second goal © Getty Images
Zlatan Ibrahimovic added another stunning goal to his collection as Paris St Germain needed just 45 minutes to all but book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by outclassing Bayer Leverkusen.
The Swede was quiet, even off-colour, until scoring twice in four minutes at the end of the first half, converting a controversial penalty and then smashing a left-footed shot from the edge of the area straight into the top corner.
Blaise Matuidi earlier stunned the BayArena just three minutes into this first leg with the opening goal, and that set the tone for the match.
PSG had no need to get out of second gear against opponents who are no strangers to the latter stages of the Champions League but froze badly this time and appeared to accept their fate.
Leverkusen were reduced to 10 men in the 59th minute, defender Emir Spahic harshly sent off for two yellow cards, and their misery was complete when PSG substitute Yohan Cabaye added a late fourth with his first goal for his new club.
City came close to scoring the opening goal in the first half when Alvaro Negredo almost converted his chance from an acute angle, while Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes recovered well in a scrap with players just before the break.
But as Barcelona continued to dominate possession, they found the breakthrough, with Messi being fouled by Demichelis in the penalty area which resulted in the City defender being sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, and Messi tucking away the spot-kick straight down the middle.
While City battled with 10 men and made Valdes work, Alves grabbed a second goal towards by sliding the ball under Joe Hart.
Barcelona coach Gerard Martino had said the key to victory was possession and so it proved, as the visitors controlled the ball for long spells.
Yet City appeared to have been expecting that having packed midfield. Fernandinho's return from injury allowed manager Manuel Pellegrini to deploy five across the middle with Negredo operating as a lone striker.
After 14 minutes largely on the back foot, but with Barca yet to create a clear-cut chance, Vincent Kompany picked out Negredo with a long ball.
The powerful forward controlled well on the edge of the box but Javier Mascherano, with whom he regularly battled, managed to scramble away. Negredo caused more trouble in the box after Jesus Navas crossed from the right but Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson penalised him for a foul on goalkeeper Valdes.
Barca had another scare as Valdes was beaten in the air by Kompany at a corner but he scrambled back to gather on the line. Negredo had another chance from outside the area but shot straight at Valdes.
All these chances punctuated spells of prolonged Barca possession and the Catalans did eventually pierce the hard-working back line of Kompany and Demichelis.
Cesc Fabregas played in Andres Iniesta only for Yaya Toure to get back and Messi linked well with Xavi and Iniesta before shooting over. Hart saved well from a strong Xavi shot and Kompany bundled Messi over.
Negredo had another chance to open the scoring before half-time but glanced a header wide from Navas' cross. City were to regret those missed chances as Barcelona upped the tempo for the second half.
Messi certainly appeared to move up the gears and did well to release Fabregas down the left. That attack came to nothing but Messi was clearly in the mood and had the hosts, and particularly, Demichelis in trouble as he burst through on goal.
Demichelis could not keep pace and slid in in a desperate attempt to tackle, but succeeded only in tripping his fellow Argentinian. Contact appeared to be just outside the area but Eriksson pointed to the spot and gave Demichelis his marching orders.
Messi calmly stroked home the penalty down the centre as Hart dived to left. Pellegrini sent on Joleon Lescott to reinforce the defence but recognised damage limitation was not an option and also introduced Samir Nasri.
Nasri was soon in the action and had a shot blocked from a Negredo lay-off. Barca could have taken even greater command of the tie as Xavi shot over and Alves fired across goal.
City broke again but Gael Clichy wasted an opening and a well-struck Silva volley was clutched by Valdes. The hosts, however, may have had a stroke of luck as Gerard Pique had a late goal ruled out for a marginal offside.
Edin Dzeko had a late chance for City but was harshly penalised for a foul. There was no reprieve for City in the final minute as Alves got behind the defence and fired past Hart.
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