Barcelona strong Footing in Champions League

Barcelona managed to secure a strong footing in the Champions League last 16 tie against Manchester City.

They won the first leg 2-1 at the Etihad stadium, which puts them in a strong position. The advantage could have been even more significant had Lionel Messi converted the penalty awarded in the latter stages of the match. Still, the Catalan club can go into the second leg in front of their own supporters with a lot of confidence. Midfielder Andres Iniesta, though, warns Barcelona against complacency against a team of City’s quality.

The reigning Premier League champions have been suffering from inconsistent form throughout this campaign, but they have produced some brilliant performances nonetheless. They were knocked out of the Champions League at the same stage last season. Barcelona were their opponents back then too and City almost came close to pulling a major shock at the Camp Nou. Iniesta says that the team should be focused from the first whistle.

Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez marked his return to England, for the first time since making the £ 75 million move to Barcelona, by scoring two goals. City recovered one goal back through Edin Dzeko.

Iniesta refused to entertain claims that the tie would have been over if Barcelona had converted the late penalty. “We have taken an important step, but nothing is decided. The tie remains open. When a team is almost totally lost, like City are now, they become more dangerous. In the return we have to play with the same ambition and concentration. A big thing in our favour to make the next round is we are playing at home, with our fans behind us. Apart from the penalty, which was unfortunate, we are leaving Manchester very satisfied. At 3-1 the tie would not be over either,” said Iniesta.