[box]B-change is bringing you exclusive reports from the UEFA Champions League 2014-15. [/box]
[box] Last 16 first-leg, Etihad Stadium – Manchester City 1 (Aguero 69) Barcelona 2 (Suarez 16, 30); Juventus Stadium – Juventus 2 (Tevez 13, Morata 42) Borussia Dortmund 1 (Reus 18) [/box]
MANCHESTER – On his return to English soil, Luis Suarez’s double at the Etihad gives Barcelona the edge over City, going into the second leg at the Nou Camp. Argentine forward Sergio Aguero did manage to pull one back for City before the game ended, thus giving City a glimmer of hope to qualify for the quaterfinals.
To add to City’s woes was Gael Clichy who was sent off for receiving his second yellow card late in the second half. This left City quite shaky at the back as Barca kept threatening with some fast ball play around City’s box.
Barcelona started off the game with great verve and a clear target to get those away goals which they did successfully. They were 2-0 up by the 39th minute. In fact, the night could have ended with Barca scoring 3 goals if not for City keeper Joe Hart’s save of a Leo Messi penalty late in the second half. Messi was not clinical as he stuffed the rebound of Hart’s save wide as well.
The second leg seems quite interestingly poised from a neutral perspective as Manchester City have to call on their stars to perform and counter the Catalan attack.
In the night’s other fixture, [According to a report by Europort] Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata scored as Juventus beat a spirited Borussia Dortmund in an absorbing contest in Turin.
After Tevez’s tap in from a rebound of the Dortmund keeper early in the first half, Marco Reus took advantage of a Giorgio Chiellini slip to equalize for Dortmund in the 18th minute.
“Dortmund almost took a deserved draw into the locker room at the break but their fearless play was not rewarded when Juventus, who’d just lost Andrea Pirlo to injury, levelled before half time.
After good work by Tevez, Paul Pogba delivered a low cross from the left, which Morata side-footed first time into the bottom corner.”
Featured Image courtesy: www.eurosport.fr