Joe Hart saved Lionel Messi’s 94th minute penalty to keep things respectable, but Barcelona still won 2-1 away to Manchester City, and will be big favorites to advance.
Suarez carving up City
David Ramos/Getty ImagesThings are already going poorly for Manchester City, and very well for Barcelona. Luis Suarez has scored the first two goals for Barcelona, and it looks like their star-studded front line is finally clicking. Suarez got a bit of a lucky bounce on the first goal, but his finish was clinical.
There were no lucky bounces on Suarez’s second -- just brilliant play. Jordi Alba’s excellent cross and Suarez’s finish will score up on the box score, but what won’t is what came before this assist -- Lionel Messi’s fantastic run and pass to set up the move.
Read Article >City, Barca begin the round’s potentially best tie
Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesGoing into the weekend’s league matches, Manchester City and Barcelona were going in different directions. While City were struggling with inconsistent play, Barcelona were looking like the best team in La Liga. Then City hammered Newcastle in an impressive footballing version of flexing, while the Blaugrana were shutout at home in a 1-0 loss to Málaga.
One game doesn’t define a team, so it’s still tricky to guess exactly what will happen at the Ethiad on Tuesday. Barca still have to be the favorites going in, but City’s strong performance on Saturday should at least give Jose Enrique and his side something to think about.
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