Manchester City are on the edge of leaving the Women’s Champions League at the quarter-final phase after an unpleasant first-leg loss to Barcelona.
Asisat Oshoala opened the scoring in the 35th minute prior to Barca’s Mariona Caldentey netted a second-half charge after Demi Stokes tripped Oshoala.
City’s Chloe Kelly missed out on a golden chance to cut in half the deficit seeing her 55th-minute charge conserved.
Jenni Hermoso tapped in a 3rd late on after Alexia Putellas struck the post.
Gareth Taylor’s side should score a minimum of 3 objectives to prevent removal in next Wednesday’s house 2nd leg (16:00 BST) at Academy Arena in Manchester.
” I do not believe it’s a hard job,” Taylor informed BBC Sport. “I believe we can turn it around. It’s within our abilities.
” The method this group has actually performed this season and the objectives we have actually scored, I believe we can do it, no issue at all.”
City suffer without skipper Houghton
With England centre-back Steph Houghton out with an Achilles injury, City had a hard time defensively as goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck kept the English side in the incorporate the very first half.
Roebuck was at her finest to reject Oshoala when through on objective prior to her opener and managed outstanding diving conserves to reject Aitana Bonmati and Putellas right before the break.
Barcelona were great worth for their first-half lead through Oshoala’s newbie strike, however City did develop a variety of possibilities on the counter-attack.
Caroline Dam put a tame effort directly at Barca keeper Sandra Panos and Kelly and Ellen White both stopped working to discover the target from appealing positions with the tie still goalless.
City employer Taylor will be left questioning what might have been had Kelly scored an essential away objective to make it 2-1 after Lauren Hemp was reduced in the location.
Fantastic Barca program tactical nous
Spanish champs Barcelona have actually won all 20 of their league components this term, scoring 99 objectives and yielding simply 3.
And the 2019 Champions League runners-up revealed their knockout football experience, regularly forcing mistakes from City’s protectors with a terrible high press.
Caldentey’s spot-kick and Hermoso’s late objective will make Barcelona strong favourites to reach the semi-finals for a 4th time in 5 seasons.
A City turn-around appears a not likely job offered Barcelona have actually not yielded 3 or more objectives in a video game considering that their 4-1 loss to Lyon in the 2019 Champions League last.
‘ We need to be much better in both boxes’
Manchester City supervisor Gareth Taylor: ” I believe there were possibilities. There is no questioning they edged it on possibilities produced however we definitely had a variety of great chances.
” We have actually typically been sticking those away and I believe it might have altered the skin of the outcome however, for me, it’s still half-time and we can scoring that quantity of objectives to get us through. That’s what we are dealing with towards next week’s video game.”
On the Chloe Kelly charge miss out on: “I believe scoring at any time would have altered the skin due to the fact that away objectives are actually essential.
” That was a great chance. Chloe [Kelly] has actually done fantastic for us this season, she has actually scored charges for us and will perform in the future.
” It’s not simply taking a look at the charge however it’s taking a look at the great chances we had and to come away without scoring, offered the kind we have actually remained in, is frustrating.
” However I wish to ensure we do not hand out as lots of chances as we carried out in the video game today. Barcelona are an excellent group however we need to be much better in both boxes.”
