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Leo Messi goes by former team-mate Yaya Toure. Manu Fernandez
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Barcelona v Man City, Champions League

Manuel Pellegrini’s men trailed the Catalan giants 2-1 going into this evening’s last-16 second leg.

THE PREMIER LEAGUE champions are going out of Europe if they fail to earn a famous victory at the Camp Nou tonight. 

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail ben@the42.ie, tweet @football_iepost a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

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Good evening and welcome along to what promises to be another entertaining night of European football. After Monaco and Atletico Madrid booked their places in the quarter-finals last night, four more teams meet in last-16 second legs this evening.

Luis Suarez’s double in the 2-1 win at the Etihad two weeks ago means Manchester City need a victory against Barcelona, while it’s a similar scenario to Borussia Dortmund, who host Juventus at the Westfalenstadion.

Here are the teams:

Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Alves, Alba, Pique, Mathieu, Mascherano, Rakitic, Iniesta, Suárez, Messi, Neymar.

 

Manchester City: Hart, Sagna, Kolarov, Kompany, Demichelis, Toure, Nasri, Fernandinho, Milner, Silva, Aguero.

The bookies make Barca massive favourites to go through while you can get Man City at 9/1. How do you see this one going?


Poll Results:

Barcelona to qualify (403)
Man City to qualify (59)

Another two goals for the main man in the 2-0 win over Eibar on Sunday.

Teams are out on the pitch and we’re about to get going.

And we’re off. Barca in their traditional blue and red, while Man City are wearing their home strip of sky blue and white.

In the night’s other game, Juventus have got off to the perfect start — Carlos Tevez scoring in the third minute.

™ @UCL4AR / Vine

How did that stay out??! Dani Alves wins possession on the edge of the City box and slots in Neymar, whose strike hits the post and rolls across Joe Hart’s goalmouth.

City win their first corner from an Aguero shot but it’s overhit.

A lovely one-two between Messi and Iniesta sets the former up for a strike, which Hart blocks for a corner.

Great chance for City. Toure does well to set up Milner eight yards out but Alves makes a last-ditch tackle to prevent the England international from making proper contact with the ball.

Fernandinho fouls Neymar to pick up the first yellow card of the night. It’s Messi with the free-kick from 30 yards, but his effort is slightly too high and flies over.

Aleksandar Kolarov is the next man to be booked — for a blatant obstruction on Messi.

Messi really does look in the mood tonight. He’s everywhere. Minutes after nutmegging Fernandinho, he is brought down by David Silva. The Spaniard gets a booking and Messi picks himself up to shoot just over again.

GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Man City (Ivan Rakitic) 

They’re ahead on aggregate and now leading on the night too. Messi makes a mazy run before looking up and clipping a pass into the path of his Croatian team-mate. Rakitic chests the ball and lifts it over Hart. Wonderful goal.

Ryan Kras / Vine

City are beginning to rack up the yellow cards. Samir Nasri has just been booked.

Close your legs, son.

Almuru / Vine

Two more chances for Barca go abegging. First Neymar pass is nearly diverted into the City goal by a defender, then Suarez’s flick is just wide of the post. They should be out of sight here.

Half-time: Barcelona 1-0 Man City (3-1 on aggregate) 

Spain Soccer Champions League Rakitic beats Hart to score. Manu Fernandez Manu Fernandez

We’re back. City have made one change with Jesus Navas coming on for Nasri but they’re going to need more than that to get them out of this hole!

Iniesta shoots but it’s right down the throat of Hart and he makes a routine save. Rakitic then lines one up but it’s well off-target.

Barca have started where they left off in the first half and Hart is called upon to save twice in quick succession — from Alba then Messi.

Ter Stegen has been quiet tonight but he very nearly made a horrible mistake by attempting to dribble past Aguero and getting caught out. Pique is back the block the shot, however, and the German stopper recovers to save from Kolarov.

Messi feeds Suarez, but he can only find the sidenetting. RTE pundit George Hamilton has been getting his South Americans mixed up, and calls the striker ‘Sanchez’… not for the first time tonight. As you would expect, Twitter isn’t happy.

Barca have the ball in the back of the net through Alba but it’s ruled offside. Right call.

Meanwhile, Toure is off for his compatriot Wilfried Bony.

Bony has a pop at goal almost immediately but sees the ball loop marginally wide.

PENALTY TO MAN CITY…

MISSED! Aguero picks himself up and sees his strike saved by Ter Stegen.

Barca race down the other end on the break and Hart does really well to keep out Neymar.

Alves is yellow-carded and will miss the next game in this competition.

Frank Lampard is on for what looks like his final appearance in the Champions League.

Joe Hart… take a bow. Barcelona could be in double figures if it wasn’t for the City keeper. Think Tim Howard in last summer’s World Cup.

What exactly is going through Edin Dzeko’s head here?

Darren / Vine

Full-time: Barcelona 1-0 Man City (Barcelona win 3-1 on aggregate) 

So there you have it. Barcelona march on while Man City go out, meaning the Premier League won’t be represented in the quarter-finals of Champions League. English hopes in Europe now lie with Everton.

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