Suarez puts Barca on top as Messi misses penalty

By Martyn Herman
Two first half goals by Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 win at Manchester City as they put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday although Lionel Messi’s late penalty miss left the door ajar.
In a repeat of last season’s round of 16 first leg at the Etihad, Barcelona were too slick for City in a mesmerising first period that could have brought five goals.
Uruguay forward Suarez fired Barca in front in the 16th minute and doubled the lead after half an hour with the hosts powerless to stop the yellow tide.
Sergio Aguero rewarded City for a vastly improved second half showing with a clinical strike 20 minutes from time.
With City down to 10 men after Gael Clichy’s red card, Messi could have restored Barcelona’s two-goal lead but his penalty was saved by Joe Hart and the Argentine headed the rebound wide.
Messi, rejuvenated since his reported spat with manager Luis Enrique at the start of the year, was at the heart of Barca’s rapier thrusts into City territory.
But it was Suarez, whose goals, bites and misplaced words made his time at Liverpool nothing if not compelling, who returned to cast his spell over English football.
It was his brace for Uruguay in June that all but banished England from the World Cup and this time his predatory instincts left City staring at another early exit from Europe.
In the 16th minute Messi’s ball in hit City skipper Vincent Kompany on the back and dropped at the feet of Suarez to drill a low shot past the stranded Hart.
The England keeper was beaten again after 30 minutes when Messi mesmerised countryman Pablo Zabaleta and dinked a pass to Jordi Alba whose low cross was touched in by the sliding Uruguayan.
Barca were caught snoozing at the start of the second half and Javier Mascherano had to make a superb tackle to deny Nasri before unmarked City striker Edin Dzeko headed straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
City’s endeavour was rewarded when Aguero clipped a shot past ter Stegen after brilliant work from David Silva.
With Clichy off for a second booking, Messi earned a last-gasp penalty when he was bundled over by Zabaleta but his effort was saved by Hart and the Argentine then missed an open goal with a diving header from the rebound to leave City alive.

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