Martin Demichels’ red card appears to have buried Manchester City. The Citizens were holding onto a 0-0 draw in an even game before he took down Lionel Messi and was sent off, but conceded twice after his exit.
Pellegrini takes verbal shots at the match referee
Laurence GriffithsPellegrini went on the attack, calling out Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson for what the City manager perceived as a lack of impartiality in his performance. Apparently Pellegrini made a similar statement to the referee himself as he walked off the pitch after the match as well.
Here are some highlights from Pellegrini’s post-match press conference:
Read Article >Demichelis sinks City
Here’s the foul, which was a terrible one. Demichelis is well-noted for his regular terrible errors in judgment, but even for him, this is an all-time great gaffe.
While Demichelis had no business going in on Messi like that, Navas is just as much at fault for the goal. He had two Barcelona defenders in front of him, none behind him and plenty of teammates in support when he gave the ball away. He could have made a sideways pass that helped to advance the attack, but instead attempted to go alone and set up Barcelona for an easy chance.
Read Article >City vs. Barcelona: Lineups
Clive BrunskillIn less than an hour Manchester City and Barcelona will kick-off at the Ethiad Stadium, beginning one of more more anticipated Round of 16 ties in this season’s Champions League. Before things get going, here’s the starting lineups for both teams.
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