Barca eliminate Man City, advance to Champions League quarter-finals.

Winning 1-0 in the second leg of the round of 16 yesterday, March 18th, Barca secured their place in the next round with an aggregate score of 3-1.

The 2-1 victory at Man City's ground in the first leg almost guaranteed Barca's progression. And coach Luis Enrique's team concretized that into a comfortable ticket to the quarter-finals when they met the reigning Premier League champions again in the second leg.

In a rare instance since the beginning of 2015 where the attacking trio of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar all failed to score, Barca still secured a 1-0 victory thanks to Ivan Rakitic's goal in the 31st minute – a beautiful lob that beat goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Rakitic (in the striped shirt) capitalized on Barca's dominance over Man City with a superb goal. Photo: UEFA.

Sergio Aguero's missed penalty in the 78th minute left Man City feeling somewhat disappointed, as they felt they could have pulled off a miracle. However, the reality is that even if Aguero had scored that penalty, Barca would have been far more deserving of progressing to the next round.

Post-match statistics show that despite not dominating possession as is typical of their style (59%), Barca completely dominated at the Nou Camp. The home team had significantly more shots (23 - 14), and nearly three times as many shots on target (11 - 4) as Man City. Besides Rakitic's goal, they were denied two other goals by the post. If Neymar in the 6th minute and Suarez in the 44th minute had put the ball into the net instead of hitting the woodwork, Barca would have been 3-0 up in the first half – a truly nightmare scenario for the visitors.

Before kick-off, manager Pellegrini and his players talked a lot about their belief in Manchester City's ability to work miracles. But there was a vast gap between those boastful words and the reality at Nou Camp. It was only thanks to luck, two shots hitting the post, and some world-class saves from Joe Hart, that the reigning Premier League champions avoided a humiliating defeat.

Losing 1-3 on aggregate means that Man City have failed to advance beyond the Round of 16 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals in their last four consecutive appearances in the competition. And for a team considered the best-paid in the world – according to a recent study – that's a truly poor achievement compared to the ambitions and the level of investment poured into Man City by their Arab owners.

At Nou Camp, the star-studded squad that Man City assembled with massive transfer fees and salaries remained a disjointed team, much like the familiar sight at this stage of the Champions League three seasons prior. Barca, meanwhile, played calmly and confidently, clearly demonstrating their superiority over their underdog.

Messi remained the focal point of the home team's attacks, constantly dazzling the opposing defense with his dribbling, passing, and quick one-two passes with his teammates. He could have scored with a superb free-kick, but Joe Hart's excellent reflexes and stretching prevented him from making the save.

Messi didn't score, but he remained the heart and soul of Barca's play and provided the assist for Rakitic's goal. Photo: Reuters.

However, with Messi failing to score, Suarez – the scorer of a brace in the first leg – and Neymar unlucky with two shots hitting the post, the goal still came for Barca as if by some unfortunate circumstance. Receiving a diagonal pass from Messi, Rakitic skillfully evaded Bacary Sagna's pursuit, controlled the ball with his chest before executing a beautiful lob over Joe Hart in the 31st minute.

The clearest chance for Man City in the first half was when James Milner was slow to react and failed to connect with Yaya Toure's low cross. The visitors only really showed their attacking prowess in the final 30 minutes, but that was because Barca deliberately ceded control of the game. However, when presented with opportunities to equalize and create the groundwork for a miracle, Man City failed to capitalize. Aguero was fouled by Mascherano inside the penalty area and took responsibility for the penalty kick, but his shot was too weak, allowing Barca's goalkeeper Ter Stegen to easily save it.

With a 3-1 aggregate victory, Barca advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals, keeping their Culés dreaming of a glorious end to the season – a treble. In La Liga, they are leading the table by one point over Real Madrid and could extend that lead to four points if they win this weekend's El Clásico. Barca also previously secured a place in the Copa del Rey final and will face Athletic Bilbao on May 30th.

Barca secured an important victory, guaranteeing their progression in the Champions League and providing a much-needed morale boost ahead of the El Clásico match against Real Madrid this weekend. Photo: Reuters.

Meanwhile, Manchester City face a trophyless season after being knocked out of the Champions League. They have also been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions, the League Cup and the FA Cup. In the Premier League, Pellegrini's team are currently second, but have played one more game and are six points behind leaders Chelsea.

According to VNE