Manchester City made a dream start in the UWCL group stage return by beating FC Barcelona 2 – 0.
Manchester City took their first three points in an exciting game in front of a sold-out crowd at the Joie Stadium in Manchester.
After being out of the group stage in the European Women’s Champions League for two consecutive years, Manchester City played their first game in front of a sold-out crowd, and what a way to start their group stage!
This is how it went
It was a first half with a big midfield domination from Manchester City that pressed high on the ball keeper.
Caroline Graham Hansen‘s first shot on target came after a great pass from Alexia Putellas, but the Man City goalkeeper saved it.
The Blaugrana center-backs played high and let the forwards offside. That was not a great tactic against Khadija Shaw, a great runner.
That’s why the first genuine attempt from Manchester City came in the 15th minute, where Shaw caught the ball and made a great run on the left side and a pass towards Miedema that was hit by the defense to the left side where Hemp caught it and shot it to the post.
Man City played high on the field, putting high pressure on the opponent players, which led to some difficulties for Barcelona players.
In the 35th minute, Man City scored a goal from a corner. A lovely pass from Fowler to Miedema, who made a nice header towards Layzell, who scored the goal, was an apparent mistake from Cata Coll, who wrongfully read the long pass direction. She went too far out.
The two teams displaced a good defense quality, often losing it in advanced positions for Barcelona.
The Blaugrana players did not find any solutions in the first half. Lauren Hemp pressed Bonmati every time she had the ball, causing the Spanish team to lose their leading midfield player.
After the break, FC Barcelona improved their attacks, but more was needed to score a goal.
Man City kept the ball longer, using an excellent defense tactic that made the Spanish team run more to take it.
Barcelona started their dominance after a 10-minute dominance from the English team.
The Spanish team needed to play more aggressively. The substitution of Claudia Pina coming in and Engen out made clear that Barcelona was playing more forward.
But something else made it through the English defense.
On the other side, Manchester City scored the second goal. That came from an excellent counterattack, with a great ball from Layzell towards Shaw, and the Jamaican magician scored the goal by passing two players.
A brief summary of the game.
During the game, the Blaugrana made five changes, and the Spanish side made all forward changes, but neither led to a goal.
On the other hand, Manchester City was dominant, so they made only three changes. Only three players took a yellow card.
The English team’s dominance was evident throughout the game, even though Barcelona dominated the first minutes of each half.
They pressured high every time they lost the ball. Laura Hemp played an excellent game, pressing high towards Bonmati and the midfield players.
Pina coming into the game was a clear signal for the players that they would play more forward. But tonight, there was no apparent solution for them.
Manchester City played a magnificent first half, pressing high on the Barcelona player and scoring on a free kick.
The same thing happened in the second half when they made a quick counterattack, and the magical forward Khadija Shaw scored the second goal by passing through the defense.
The UWCL champion started strong, but the home team had a clear advantage. The Spanish squad must improve and change tactics to win their third UWCL cup.
Laura Hemp was the best player in the game. She was everywhere on the pitch, playing excellent midfield defense and being a great forward. She was clearly on a mission to pressure Aitana Bonmati all the time.
What a dreamy performance from Manchester City! It is a dream start for them.
