Barcelona vs. Manchester City: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League Match
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick for Barcelona as they beat Manchester City 4-0 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, as both teams were reduced to 10 men on Pep Guardiola's return to the Camp Nou.
The Sky Blues conceded early on but otherwise looked to be matching the hosts until goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was sent off early in the second half. The Blaugrana were ruthless in punishing individual errors, and Messi bagged two more after the break.
Jeremy Mathieu was sent off after 74 minutes for a second bookable offences, but with his side comfortably ahead, it made little difference. Neymar missed a penalty late on but made amends with a goal soon after.
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City started with Sergio Aguero on the bench but began the brighter of the two, as they dominated much of the early possession.
However, Barcelona drew first blood through Messi who capitalised on a slip by Fernandinho to nip in and round Bravo after some good work by Andres Iniesta.
The hosts picked up as a result of the goal and had City hearts in mouths once again when Neymar and Luis Suarez worked their way into the area, but the latter could only find the side netting from an offside position.
Ivan Rakitic should also have done better when presented with a free header, but the Croatia international couldn't direct his effort on target.
At the other end, City enjoyed their first real chance of the game when Ilkay Gundogan showed impressive skill to dance his way through the Barca defence, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen made an outstanding reaction save to deny his compatriot.
As the half drew to a close, both sides had further chances—John Stones raced on to a free-kick but nodded wide, while Bravo had to be alert to stop Suarez after the Uruguayan was slipped in by Messi.
Spanish football experts Rafael Hernandez and Sergi Dominguez were divided by the first half:
City had arguably been the better side despite the scoreline, but their task got even more difficult when Bravo saw red early in the second half.
The Chilean raced out of the area to deal with a ball upfield, only to pass it straight to Suarez. The goalkeeper received his marching orders for stopping the striker's goal-bound effort with his hands outside the box.
Journalists Ben Hayward and Duncan Castles were among many critical of the calamitous error:
Within 10 minutes, Messi had netted again after City gave the ball away in midfield. Iniesta quickly found the forward, who cut on to his left foot and picked out the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Kevin De Bruyne almost provided a swift response when he broke down the right, but the Belgian could not beat Ter Stegen from an angle.
Messi had his third inside 70 minutes, when Suarez unselfishly squared the ball to him after being set away down the left.
Less than five minutes later, Mathieu brought down Raheem Sterling with a reckless challenge, having already been booked, leaving referee Milorad Mazic no choice but to send the Frenchman off.
Former Liverpool star John Arne Riise and former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker were unimpressed:
The hosts were awarded a penalty not long thereafter, when Messi was brought down by Aleksandar Kolarov. Neymar failed to convert the spot-kick but made up for it when he wriggled his way through City's defence and slotted home shortly before full time.
Barca consolidated their position atop Group C with the result. City remain second and should still qualify for the knockout stages, but they'll need to cut out the careless mistakes that proved so costly here.
The two sides will meet again on Nov. 1.
Post-Match Reaction
Despite Bravo's error, City boss Guardiola remained defiant about having the stopper play out from the back.
According to The Independent's Mark Ogden, he said:
"At that level it is hard, but until 10 against 11 it was open and we were competing against a team with a big personality. But after the card it was over.
We were there, we were in the game. We were pressing, we had the possession and we made the chances. We did it but we didn't take the chances and you have to do that to win the game.
"
Meanwhile, his Barca counterpart, Luis Enrique, hailed Messi's contribution, per his club's official website: "He was decisive. He was involved in all the game’s key moments. Messi finishes as if he were playing on the school playground. It doesn’t matter if he’s coming off an injury. It’s just the way he processes the game."
He added: "There were some big errors made in the game, and that’s huge in matches featuring two very good teams. The little details decide the game."
