Lionel Messi Furious After Missed Penalty in Manchester City vs. Barcelona Match

Lionel Messi reportedly left the Etihad Stadium "in a huff" after missing a late penalty during Barcelona's 2-1 Champions League round-of-16 win against Manchester City.

Luis F. Rojo of Marca suggests Messi's "frustration" saw him fail to celebrate the victory with the rest of the team.

"Messi was in no mood to rejoice and went straight down the tunnel without so much as a word to anyone," writes Rojo. "Luis Suarez walked over to console him but on seeing his expression decided against saying anything."

Messi also missed a simple follow-up from Joe Hart's penalty save, highlighted by FanSided:

"

VINE - Joe Hart saves Messi's penalty, and Messi misses with follow up header https://t.co/6ayjg2T7m6

— FanSided GIF (@FanSidedGIF) February 24, 2015"

The Argentinian maestro has missed 13 spot-kicks in his Barcelona career, according to OptaJose:

His failure was the only annoyance in an otherwise stunning performance. Messi dictated play throughout, dropping deep to influence possession in City's half. He burst into life to glide beyond opposition who often failed to press, playing a key role in both of Suarez's goals.

Messi completed 10 dribbles, doubling Sergio Aguero's match-high total for City, and was dispossessed just once, per WhoScored.com. He finished the encounter with a pass accuracy of 90.8 percent, two shots on target and an offside goal chalked off. Squawka highlighted another excellent part of his performance:

With 37 goals this season, recorded by WhoScored.com, it's perhaps natural for Messi to feel aggrieved. Suarez didn't blame his team-mate for the missed penalty, suggesting the team as a whole could have provided greater comfort ahead of the second leg.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

"Sometimes penalties are missed," the Uruguayan said, per the Press Association (h/t ESPN FC). "We would have liked a bigger lead. In the first half we had a lot of chances, and we could have scored more goals."

Barca boss Luis Enrique also had no complaints, per the Blaugrana's website: "The only people that miss penalties are the ones that dare to take them. Leo Messi takes ours. But even if we’d won 3-1, the tie would not have been decided."

It remains to be seen just how important Messi's penalty disappointment will turn out to be. A third away goal would have all but halted City's chances of overturning the deficit in the Camp Nou return, but Manuel Pellegrini's side will likely be buoyed by the dramatic twist of events.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Aguero's goal gives City an opportunity to deliver a historic comeback, but the Premier League champions need to score two without conceding to progress. One goal is likely to be enough for Barca during the second tie, providing an excellent opportunity for Messi to overcome his reported irritation.

He scored during both fixtures against the English club last year and will now be even more motivated to succeed.