UEFA Champions League
Group C
November 1st
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
3-1
21′ Messi
39′ Gündoğan
51′ De Bruyne
74′ Gündoğan
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FT: The result means that Manchester City remain in second but move onto seven points whilst Barcelona remain at the top on nine points.
FT: Barcelona’s defence has cost them all three points, given the fact that they had the lead. Roberto gifted possession away in dangerous positions, leading to City’s equaliser and could have led to more City goals too. Barcelona didn’t create many chances in the second-half but Gomes had a good chance to level the scores when they were behind but saw his effort hit the crossbar.
FT: Manchester City looked a different side since levelling the scores in the first-half and started the second with the same momentum. They pressed the Catalan side high up the pitch forcing to a number of errors which City capitalised on. Sterling and Agüero both spurned good chances prior to De Bruyne’s freekick although Ter Stegen should have made the save. Agüero then glanced a header wide before his effort on the slide was blocked by Umtiti. De Bruyne also clipped the outside of the post with a strike before Gündoğan sealed the victory.
FT: So Manchester City have come back from behind to defeat the mighty Barcelona.
90’+3′ The referee blows his whistle to bring the match to an end.
90’+2′ The corner comes to nothing.
90’+1′ Umtiti concedes a corner.
90′ Chance!! The delivery is met by Messi but it hits his trailing foot and Caballero claims.
90′ There will be three additional minutes.
89′ Neymar wins a freekick.
89′ Rafinha wins a freekick.
87′ Final City change sees De Bruyne replaced by Nolito.
86′ Suárez is caught offside.
82′ The delivery is cleared.
82′ The delivery is cleared behind for another corner.
82′ The delivery is tipped away by Caballero before it’s cleared behind.
81′ The freekick from Messi hits the wall and goes out for a goalkick.
80′ Suárez wins a freekick in a good position.
79′ Chance!! Silva finds Agüero, who fires an effort wide from a tight-angle.
77′ Neymar is caught offside.
76′ Second Barcelona change sees Gomes replaced by Rafinha.
74′ Busquets receives a booking for dissent.
74′ Goal!! A teasing delivery across the face of goal from Navas is deflected into the path of Gündoğan by Agüero, and the German international fires home the loose ball. It looked as though Agüero had used an arm but the goal stands.
69′ Second City change sees Sterling replaced by Jesús Navas.
68′ Neymar wins a freekick.
67′ Chance!! De Bruyne looks to find Zabaleta but Sterling intercepts it and fires an effort that Ter Stegen terrifically palms away, although it wouldn’t have counted as Sterling was in an offside position.
65′ So close!! Sterling pulls the ball back to De Bruyne, whose first-time effort clips the outside of the post with Ter Stegen well-beaten.
64′ So close!! Stones loses possession and sends Suárez through, he nutmegs his man before pulling the ball back to Gomes, whose drive rattles the bar.
63′ The corner comes to nothing.
62′ Chance!! A dangerous delivery from Kolarov just evades De Bruyne before Agüero’s effort is blocked by Umtiti at the expense of a corner.
60′ First Barcelona change sees Rakitić replaced by Arda Turan.
59′ First City change sees Fernandinho replaced by Fernando.
58′ Kolarov is booked for a cynical foul on Rakitić.
57′ Busquets is penalised for a foul on Fernandinho.
56′ Close!! The delivery is met by Agüero, who glances a header just wide.
55′ Busquets is penalised for a foul on De Bruyne and concedes a freekick in a dangerous position.
55′ The freekick is taken quickly but eventually comes to nothing as Messi overhits a pass.
54′ Messi wins a freekick.
52′ The corner is taken short before Sterling’s delivery just evades Otamendi.
52′ The delivery is deflected behind, evading Otamendi on its way through.
51′ Manchester City win a freekick in a good position.
51′ Goal!! De Bruyne curls the freekick home despite Ter Stegen getting a hand to it. The keeper should have done better than that it truth.
49′ The freekick is cleared and City break before Silva is brought down just outside the area by Busquets.
48′ Otamendi is penalised for a foul on Neymar and concedes a freekick in a good position for the visitors.
46′ Close!! City win possession before Agüero fires an effort just wide. He did have Gündoğan is support too.
46′ Chance!! Busquets loses possession and City break with the ball finding Sterling, who eventually fires wide from a tight-angle.
45′ Manchester City get the second-half underway.
HT: So will City come back and defeat Barcelona or will the Catalan side make their dominance count and prove to be too much for the Sky Blues? Join us again for the second-half.
HT: The hosts will need to be more clinical in front of goal especially against a side like Barcelona, but the Catalans’ poor defending always gifts sides a chance or two and City are more than capable of forcing them into errors as they did at the end of the first-half. Barcelona need to get Suárez more involved if they are to win this game, the Uruguayan hasn’t had much in the way of service and when he does, he’s crowded-out quickly. His best chance fell when he headed wide from a Messi cross. The MSN attack will need to produce more fluidity if they are to get the better of this well-drilled City defence.
HT: The hosts started well and possibly should have been awarded a penalty when Sterling was sent tumbling by Umtiti, but his theatrical fall may have resulted in him being booked. City started to look dangerous towards the latter stages of the half and forced a number of Barcelona mistakes, one of which led to City’s equaliser. Roberto’s loose pass was seized upon by Agüero, who saw Sterling, who found Gündoğan, who tapped home. They very nearly got a second after another mistake from Roberto when Fernandinho fired inches wide of the far-post.
HT: The visitors have created more chances but an error from Roberto enabled the hosts a way back in this game. First Messi put the visitors ahead following a swift break. Then Neymar went close when he forced Caballero into a fine save at his near-post. Neymar and Gomes also went close but saw their efforts closed-down before Suárez headed just wide from close-range. Suárez then saw his effort blocked by Stones after the hosts lost possession.
HT: So we’re level at the break with both sides sharing the spoils.
45′ The referee blows his whistle to bring the first 45 minutes to an end.
45′ Silva’s delivery is cleared.
44′ Kolarov wins a freekick in a good position.
44′ The corner is dealt with by the visitors.
43′ Mascherano concedes a corner.
40′ Close!! Fernandinho wins possession and City break with Silva pulling the ball back to Fernandinho, whose shot just drifts wide, evading Agüero on the way through.
39′ Goal!! A loose pass from Roberto gifts possession to the hosts deep into his own half before Sterling
37′ The corner is taken short but is eventually dealt with by the hosts.
37′ Stones concedes another corner.
36′ Otamendi concedes a corner.
35′ Chance!! City lose possession and Rakitić finds Suárez but his effort is blocked by Stones.
34′ Chance!! The delivery is cleared to Gomes, whose effort is blocked, then Messi picks out Suárez with a cross but the ball arrives too quickly for the Uruguayan, who can only head wide.
33′ Suárez wins a freekick after a foul from Otamendi.
33′ Chance!! Gomes beats Otamendi and pulls the ball back to Neymar but his effort is blocked.
32′ The freekick comes to nothing as De Bruyne overhits the delivery.
31′ Suárez is penalised for a foul on Fernandinho and concedes a freekick in a good position for the hosts.
30′ Messi is penalised for a foul.
28′ Neymar is booked for a cynical foul on Sterling.
28′ The corner comes to nothing.
27′ Chance!! Neymar surges forward but delays his strike before his eventual effort is palmed behind by Caballero at his near-post.
26′ Agüero wins a freekick after a foul from Umtiti.
26′ Messi just overhits a pass towards Gomes.
23′ Chance!! The corner is taken short before Sterling’s effort is charged down to Gündoğan, whose powerful strike is saved well by Ter Stegen.
22′ Agüero wins a corner.
21′ Goal!! The visitors break wonderfully with Messi finding Neymar, who finds the Argentine again and he slots home past Caballero.
19′ Rakitić catches Gündoğan late and receives a yellow card. Freekick to City in a good position.
14′ The freekick is dealt with by the visitors.
13′ Mascherano is penalised for a foul on Agüero and concedes a freekick in a good position for the hosts.
12′ Zabaleta is penalised for a foul on Neymar.
10′ Penalty appeal!! Sterling goes down under a challenge from Umtiti but the referee books the winger for simulation. There was contact but minimal and the former Liverpool winger went down too easily.
9′ Fernandinho is penalised for a lunging challenge on Rakitić, he just gets a talking-to from the referee.
8′ Sterling wins a freekick.
6′ Sterling is cynically fouled by Digne but the referee somehow keeps his cards in his pocket.
3′ Gomes wins a freekick.
2′ Agüero is caught just offside.
1′ A Neymar pass towards Suárez is cut-out by Otamendi.
0′ Barcelona get the game underway.
Team news:
Manchester City F.C.: Willy Caballero (GK), Aleksandar Kolarov, John Stones, Nicolás Otamendi, Pablo Zabaleta, Fernandinho, İlkay Gündoğan, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Agüero
FC Barcelona: Marc-André Ter Stegen (GK), Lucas Digne, Samuel Umtiti, Javier Mascherano, Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets, André Gomes, Ivan Rakitić, Neymar, Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi
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