All English teams out.Barca oust Man city out title race

A superb performance from Lionel Messi inspired
Barcelona to a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in
their last-16 second leg tie at Camp Nou on
Wednesday, as the Spanish giants ran out 3-1
winners on aggregate.
The mercurial Argentine led the reigning English
champions a merry dance during the first half,
teasing his opponents with a series of nutmegs
before creating the winning goal for Ivan Rakitic.
City - who relied heavily on goalkeeper Joe Hart
to keep them in the contest - were unable to
complete an unlikely comeback after half-time as
Sergio Aguero won and missed a late penalty, just
as Messi had in the first leg at the Etihad
Stadium.
Under-fire manager Manuel Pellegrini must now
turn his attention back towards a Premier League
title defence that has unravelled to the extent
that his team face a battle to seal their return to
the Champions League next term.
Vincent Kompany's form was under the
microscope before kick-off and a lapse from the
City captain almost allowed Barcelona to open
the scoring in the fifth minute.
Dani Alves was alert to dispossess the Belgian on
the edge of his own penalty area, leaving Neymar
to shoot against the base of Hart's near post
before the ball rolled agonisingly across the face
of goal.
Hart reacted sharply to deny Messi after the
Argentina superstar combined in typically slick
fashion with Andres Iniesta, although City were
offered encouragement in the 13th minute when
Alves made a last-ditch tackle to thwart James
Milner after Yaya Toure's cut-back.
Messi brushed a second free-kick against the top
of the net in the 27th minute having been scythed
down by David Silva - the City playmaker rightly
following team-mates Fernandinho and
Aleksandar Kolarov into referee Gianluca Rocchi's
notebook.
The opening goal arrived four minutes later at the
end of clinical counter-attack, as Messi brilliantly
picked out Rakitic and the midfielder - allowed
ample room by the City defence - controlled the
ball on his chest before lifting a calm finish over
the on-rushing Hart.
Samir Nasri was the next City player booked for a
petulant kick on Neymar and the visitors' evening
threatened to collapse entirely under relentless
and dazzling pressure before the interval - Suarez
hitting the post having raced clear of a thoroughly
disheveled defence.
The game resumed in similar fashion, with Hart in
regular action to deny Iniesta, Jordi Alba and
Messi inside four minutes of the restart.
Barcelona's concentration levels then appeared to
slacken, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen grateful for a
clutch of defenders flooding his box having been
robbed of possession by Aguero outside the area.
Suarez fired into the side netting after 63
minutes, shortly before City failed to capitalise on
a scramble inside the Barca area when Jesus
Navas - introduced at half-time for Nasri - pulled
a poor cross behind his colleagues.
Immediately Barca sprung down field and, not for
the first time, Pellegrini was grateful for Hart
continuing his personal duel against Messi in
admirable fashion.
Hart added to his catalogue of brilliant saves by
trumping Neymar in a one-on-one and deserved to
see Aguero throw his team a lifeline - but the
striker's 77th-minute spot-kick was comfortably
saved by Ter Stegen after a combination of
Javier Mascherano and Gerard Pique brought him
down in the area.
Suarez then hit the crossbar and Hart provided
more heroics to deny Messi the goal he richly
deserved as the clock ticked down on a night
when Barcelona's superiority was not reflected in
the scoreline.
Source: goal.com

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