major events
Half Time: Barcelona 1-0 Man City
Well City’s defense was largely impressive Barcelona were under heavy pressure, but were finally broken by a beautiful strike from Claudia Pina. However at times the city looks dangerous and Jill Roord comes closest. As per the circumstances, City is still on top of the group.
45 + 1 minute:Two more minutes to be added, I was expecting a lot more.
The move started with some beautiful football from BrugesIt went to Bonmati who could not control but luckily it bounced to Pina who broke it. Great goal.
Target Barcelona 1-0 Man City (Pina, 44′)
He keeps coming.
43 minutes: The ball keeps finding Pajor in the box but he is yet to execute his shots effectively as another effort is saved by Keating.
41 min: Keating. That’s the post. He timed it so well when he faced Barça’s shots, I actually thought Pajor was going to score because he timed his run so well. Keating pushes him back for a corner. The delivery is poor and Fowler is cleared.
39 minutes: Keating every time a ball is booed by the crowd after tactical injury time has expired early in the game. The referee came to him at that time to tell him it would be added on at the end of the half so I’m preparing for at least three or four minutes of injury time.
37 minutes: It won’t surprise you when I tell you that Barça had the lion’s share of possession in the last few minutes, but City’s defense has been resolute and they are now enjoying some front-footed ball. Fujino finds it in the box but Paredes clears, it falls to Roord and it rattles the crossbar. Wow, it’s the nearest town.
35 minutes: Barça again opted for a short corner, they are not very effective and Roord cleared it. Barça’s set pieces have not been the best so far in this match.
34 minutes: Barça take a corner short but it eventually comes into the area, initially Fowler clears it but it falls to Bruggets who hits a powerful strike and Keating once again makes an amazing save. It goes back to a corner.
32 minutes: The longer City keep Barca out, the happier they will be. Even if the English club loses 1-0 tonight, they will remain on top of the group because when the top two have equal points it depends on goal difference in their matches played against each other, City beat Barça 2–0 in the reverse fixture in October. Back in action and Barca are attacking once again and they’ve won a corner.
31 min: Walsh is fouled by Roord and hence Barça gets a free kick. Pina throws the ball and Pajor tries to keep it alive but it goes out for a goal kick.
29 minutes: Keating can thank his lucky stars that he was successful. The goalkeeper had a careless pass and was out of position as Bonamati fired the ball towards goal but it bounced just to the left of the goal.
27 minutes: How, how, how did Barça not score there? Bonamati and Bruges actually had two good chances but City had to risk their lives as they barely managed to go ahead.
25 minutes: City have a promising first attack and show glimpses of the threat they have within their ranks. There was a great break and Park was in good position but her effort was easily saved by Cole.
24 minutes: Keating made a brilliant decision as an excellent long ball found Pajor’s perfectly timed run but the goalkeeper came out to kick it away.
23 min: Battle wins a free kick after a foul by Alexandri on the halfway line. They get it through the team in good position but Walsh wins possession.
21 min: Breaking news, City have passed the ball in their attacking half. This lasts two or three passes and Barça take them back to where they want to play again.
20 minutes: Keating OK to continue, Barca looked as if they had spoken to the officials during that break as they look to maintain their momentum. The longer the break in the game, the louder the noise became.
18 minutes: I don’t think I’ve seen City touch the ball in their own half, Barça have been dominant like that so far. And despite having a few shots cleared, City will be happy to keep the defending champions at bay. There was a rain of boos from the stands as Keating went down and that needed to be taken into consideration – this could have been a tactical move.
16 minutes: I’ve just noticed Kennedy’s black eye and many City fans on social media are questioning how he got the black eye. This must have happened during training, it looks quite painful.
14 min:Paralluelo is just a cheat code, right? She manages to get the ball back despite being surrounded by City defenders. After several passes Hasegawa won it back by clearing it. However the pressure is really mounting.
12 min: If I had won FIFA’s Best Award for the second year in a row, I would also have attempted a long-range shot. However, this time Bonmati’s effort is collected by Keating.
10 minutes: A beautiful ball finds Bruges and his pace carves space into the City defense but Ohabi does excellently to see it into a corner. The set piece once again went waste but the defending champions are knocking on the door strongly.
8 min: Lyon’s delivery isn’t the best and City have made that clear. It’s not long before Barca get back on the attack though and Parluelo, starting his first match for Barca this season, has a shot but it’s an easy save for Keating. Looks like it’s going to be a long evening of defending the city.
8 min: Barcelona win another corner as Kennedy heads up a Bonamati cross, good game so far from Kennedy. The delivery is excellent and Pajor gets the edge but Keating makes a brilliant save to keep him out. She sees it in the other corner above the bar.
6 minutes: The first corner delivery is sent straight for the second set piece. The second delivery is good and City are struggling to clear it but eventually Australia international Kennedy clears it away from the danger area.
5 minutes: A mistake by Keating gives Barça a chance in the final third, the ball comes to Parluello who takes a punt but Keating makes up for his mistake with a great save. Although she gives a corner.
4 minutes: There’s been a lot of exchange of possession in midfield so far, so not much to report from the last few minutes. Neither side looks brighter than the other.
2 minutes: There is a large crowd in the stands filled with Barça fans keen to beat City by two goals or more to top the group, but some chants of ‘Come on City’ can also be heard. Both teams have found their feet by now.
launch! barcelona 0-0 man city
Here it is.
Players will be out soon Before the Women’s Champions League anthem is played in Barcelona. Can Barca top the group? Or will City remain invincible in the group stage? Everyone has to come.
Read all about the action from yesterday’s game where Chelsea topped their group,
Wonder how the WSL clubs The rankings are coming in now that we’ve gotten the Christmas holidays? Don’t be afraid. Our own Suzy Wrack and Tom Gary share their opinions. Read it here:
I would love to hear from you And since it’s the last Women’s Champions League action before Christmas, it seems fitting to have a festive theme. So any Christmas fun facts or satire are welcome. I want to share with you that Noel means birth, I learned it yesterday in a pub quiz. You can contact us via email: sarah.rendell.casual@guardian.co.uk.
Gareth Taylor said about tonight’s protest: “I have played with Barça three times in my time as head coach and have been lucky in the results of two of those games, but in those games they have been different players and what Barça have done over the years Is. I want us to be there and we still have a long way to go. We proved for ourselves on a special night that we can compete and beat one of the best in the long run but the challenge is about small steps.
Barcelona manager Pere Romeu Has said that his team is ready to fight for victory this evening: “This is the way the team wants to play the match. Players thrive in these settings and will be exposed to hard work from the first minute. We hope that we will get the best motivation to face this match.
Aitana Bonamati of Barcelona Won FIFA’s Best Award on Tuesday, read more about it here:
While City are second in the WSL, Barcelona dominates Liga F. The Spanish giants are 11 points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid with 13 wins from 13 matches so far this season. This is not surprising given the amount of talent in their team, including the reigning FIFA World Cup winner…
Manchester City They are currently without top scorers Bunny Shaw, Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Vivian Miedema and that is just the tip of the iceberg of their injury woes. City suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Liverpudlian club last weekend, thanks to brilliant tactics from Everton. The defeat meant they could not take advantage of Chelsea losing points to Leicester. City are currently six points behind leaders Chelsea in the WSL
Team news is here. Barcelona’s line-up shows its strength in depth with stars on the bench. Alexia Putellas, who is returning to full fitness, and Caroline Graham Hansen are among the substitutes.
barca: Cole, Battle, Paredes, Lyon, Bruges, Bonamati, Walsh, Patry, Parluelo, Pajor, Pina.
later stages: Gemma, Roebuck, Jana, Marta, Graham Hansen, Putellas, Rolfo, Nazareth, Vicky, Martina, Engen, Cano
City, meanwhile, have a strong line-up despite an extensive injury list. Khiara Keating, in particular, starts in goal.
City: Keating, Alexandre (c), Fowler, Roord, Kennedy, Ouahabi, Park, Kasparij, Blindkilde-Brown, Fujino, Hasegawa.
Sub: Yamashita, Startup, Layzell, Combs, Pryor, Thomas, Murphy, O’Carroll
Preface
Hello and welcome back to our Women’s Champions League coverage. Tonight we’re focusing on Barcelona vs Manchester City with both clubs competing to top their group.
Both teams have already qualified for the quarter-finals but the top spot in Group D is still at stake. City are currently on top but Barcelona will overtake them if they beat them by two goals or more.
In the reverse match, City defeated the defending champions and won 2–0. However, the English club is struggling with an injury crisis which has affected their form.
We’ll take a closer look at who’s missing for City and what’s been said in the build-up to the match soon, but team news has already been announced, so stay tuned for an update ahead of kick-off at 5.45pm GMT. Stay tuned for.