Barcelona Femeni 3, Manchester City Women 0 (UEFA Champions League Quarter Final, 1st leg)
Barcelona will take a towering 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League tie against Manchester City Women after putting on a masterclass in Italy.
Embed from Getty ImagesGoals by Asisat Oshoala, Mariona Caldentey, and Jenny Hermoso were the least that Barcelona deserved as City missed a penalty and failed to create the kind of chances they usually enjoy in the Women’s Super League.
Oshoala’s first half goal put Barcelona into a deserved lead as Manchester City were rescued from a mauling by a string of saves from Ellie Roebuck.
Gareth Taylor’s side suffered greatly under the Barcelona press who forced errors throughout the game to create huge chances for Oshoala, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Alexia Putellas – with 21-year-old Roebuck coming to the rescue.
It was a tale of two penalties after the break as Mariona Caldentey despatched hers soon after the restart while Chloe Kelly’s effort was saved by Sandra Panos.
Things might have been different for City had Kelly reduced the deficit with an away goal.
The ball didn’t quite fall right in the final third for City as Sam Mewis, Lauren Hemp, and Georgia Stanway could not convert chances to score and City left themselves with a mountain to climb in Manchester next week after Jenny Hermoso’s late finish dealt City their heaviest defeat since a 4-0 reverse in August 2014 against Arsenal.
Barcelona’s home leg was played in the heat of Monza in Italy due to COVID travel restrictions and the Spanish champions came with a strong and rested side having made six changes from their weekend game.
Steph Houghton remained sidelined with an achilles problem but Lucy Bronze was fit to start against their hosts and Alex Greenwood partnered American international Abby Dahlkemper in central defence.
The captain’s armband went to Ellen White who led the line and both sides had to contend with pressure they will have been unused to domestically.
Barca’s Caroline Graham Hansen created a chance for herself and floated the ball past the back post to show City they were in a game.
Ellie Roebuck had to be on her toes to come off her line and save a crashing shot from Asisat Oshoala before Hansen fired wide soon afterwards and City had to block another shot.
Roebuck saved again from Aitana Bonmati while Hansen’s cross was blocked by Greenwood as Barca targeted City’s left side.
City had finally had a chance after 25 minutes when Caroline Weir forced a save out of Barca when she got on the end of a Sam Mewis cross before Hemp’s whipped in cross was headed over by Chloe Kelly.
City were sloppy, giving away possession as Barcelona flooded the final third, and Roebuck came to the rescue again – tipping away a shot by Alexia Putellas before Marta Torrejon fired wide from the resulting corner.
Roebuck also saved from a header by Putellas as the chances kept coming for Barca.
City went long to beat the Barca press and Kelly slipped the ball into White but the City captain blazed over as the chance presented itself after 33 minutes.
But the City goal was finally breached by a deserved strike into the bottom corner when Oshoala chanced her arm from the edge of the box after City failed to clear a free kick.
Roebuck also got the ball before Graham Hansen could round her with City defenders scrambling to get back and cover.
Sam Mewis had the ball in the Barca net from a Greenwood free kick but the American mistimed her run and was offside shortly before the break.
It wasn’t the first offside flag that City had seen in the game, Kelly and White were caught out earlier.
Demi Stokes was introduced at the break for Esme Morgan to stabilise City’s left flank.
Tale of two penalties as Manchester City errors lead to big defeat at the hands of Barcelona Femeni
But Barcelona kept coming with Oshoala earning a spot kick after Stokes mistimed her kick to clear the ball in the 52nd minute.
Mariona Caldentey stepped up and made it 2-0 beyond the reach of Roebuck in the right side.
City responded with a penalty of their own when Hemp weaved her way into the box and was tripped by Maria Leon after 56 minutes.
But Kelly was denied by a save by Sandra Panos who guessed correctly and saved a penalty struck too close to her to her right to the delight of her team mates.
Leike Martens replaced Graham Hansen after 62 minutes in the first change for the home side as Barcelona went for a third goal.
Kelly tried to make amends for her penalty miss with a cross into space for White but the England striker’s shot on the stretch was weak and well saved by Panos.
Weir could only head a difficult chance by Hemp into the arms of Panos.
There were changes for both sides in the last 20 minutes as Barcelona brought on Jenny Hermoso and Kheira Hamraoui for Oshoala and Bonmati.
White and Kelly were replaced by Rose Lavelle and Georgia Stanway.
And Hamraoui blazed over with a thunderbolt shot from outside the area.
Sam Mewis sent a glorious cutback wide after she had to dig the ball out with her left foot after great work from Hemp.
And Dahlkemper was offside as her effort was saved by Panos from Weir’s free kick.
But Hermoso effectively put the tie out of City’s hands after she put Putellas through for a shot which came back off the post in the right place for the striker to finish with 6 minutes to go.
Stanway tried to pull a goal back with a minute to go but her shot went straight to Panos – summing up their day in the attacking third.
GOALS – Barcelona Femeni 3, Manchester City Women 0 (UEFA Champions League Quarter Final, 1st leg)
Barcelona Femeni 1, Man City Women 0: 35. Asisat Oshoala scored from just outside the box after City failed to clear a free kick from the right.
Barcelona Femeni 2, Man City Women 0: 53. Mariona Caldentey stepped up to despatch a spot kick beyond the reach of Ellie Roebuck
Barcelona Femeni 3, Man City Women 0: 86. Jenny Hermoso tucked away the rebound from 9 yards out after Alexia Putellas’ shot came back off the post.
MATCH STATS – Barcelona Femeni 3, Manchester City Women 0 (UEFA Champions League Quarter Final, 1st leg)
Barcelona Femeni: Panos, Torrejon (Crnogorcevic 80), Pereira, Mapi Leon, Ouahabi, Bonmati (Hamraoui 70), Guijarro, Putellas, Graham Hansen (Martens 62), Oshoala (Hermoso 70), Mariona
Barcelona Femeni Subs not used: Font, Munoz, Serrano, Losada, Jana Fernandez.
Booked: Guijarro 84 (dissent)
Goals: Oshoala 35; Mariona 53; Hermoso 86
Man City Women: Roebuck, Bronze, Dahlkemper, Greenwood, Morgan (Stokes 46), Walsh, Mewis, Weir, Kelly (Stanway 70), White (Lavelle 70), Hemp
Man City Women Subs not used: Taieb, Keating, Mannion, Coombs, Beckie, Park, Davies
Bookings: Weir 15; Stokes 52 (foul on Asisat Oshoala)
Referee: Tess Olofsson