Kompany dkk Tidak Sebanding dengan Kehebatan Barcelona
Kompany and co are No Match for Barcelona`s Pass Masters
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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Manchester (B2B) - Lionel Messi dan Dani Alves antar Barcelona tekuk Manchester City di stadion Etihad pada leg pertama Liga Champions, Rabu dini hari.
Barcelona sudah menguasai pertandingan sejak babak pertama dengan 65 persen penguasaan bola. Namun skor 0-0 bertahan hingga 45 menit pertama berakhir.
Pada babak kedua, pelanggaran di kotak penalti menit ke-54 membuat Martin Demichelis diusir wasit ke luar lapangan dan berbuah penalti untuk Barcelona. Lionel Messi yang menjadi algojo sukses memanfaatkan peluang ini, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Kehilangan seorang pemain tidak membuat Manchester City kehilangan peluang untuk menciptakan gol balasan. Menit ke-80 Silva memiliki peluang namun Valdes sukses menepisnya.
Pada menit ke-82 Gerard Pique bisa menambah keunggulan Barcelona namun golnya dianulir wasit karena lebih dulu terjebak offside.
Dani Alves membungkam publik tuan rumah berkat golnya di ujung laga berkat kerjasama satu-dua dengan Neymar. Skor 0-2 bertahan hingga wasit meniup peluit panjang akhir pertandingan.
Livescore mencatat Bercelona menguasai 62 persen penguasaan bola dengan menghasilkan tujuh tendangan ke arah gawang Manchester City, sementara City meskipun hanya menguasai 38 persen berhasil membuat enam ancaman ke gawang Valdes.
Kemenangan di Etihad mempermudah Barcelona kala menjamu anak asuh Pellegrini di Camp Nou dua pekan mendatang.
Manchester - Goals by Lionel Messi and Dani Alves saw Barcelona take control of their Champions League last 16 tie against Manchester City with a 2-0 win in Tuesday´s first leg.
Knockout-phase debutants City matched Barcelona in the first half at the Etihad Stadium, but the game changed early in the second period when Martin Demichelis was sent off following a last-man foul on Messi.
The Argentine scored from the ensuing penalty in the 54th minute, taking his tally of goals in this season´s competition to seven.
Despite being a man down, City continued to threaten, but in the final minute Alves ran through to score, leaving Barcelona firmly in the driving seat ahead of the return leg on March 12.
While Neymar started on the bench for Barcelona after his recent return from injury, Pellegrini sent City out in a pragmatic 4-4-1-1 formation, with Alvaro Negredo playing as a lone striker.
Both managers had emphasised the importance of possession before the game and in that domain the visitors quickly stamped their authority, immediately trading passes with their usual hypnotic fluidity.
There was no penetration to their passing, however, and when City began to probe, they found fissures in the Barca defence.
A pass from David Silva freed Negredo, who eluded Gerard Pique before lifting the ball over Victor Valdes from a tight angle, but there were no City players up in support.
