From Nou Camp to Etihad: 'Rain' of two shades!

(Baonghean.vn) - There is no need to argue, the confrontation between Barcelona and Man City in the 3rd and 4th round of the group stage is the highlight of the Champions League. There, fans can wait anxiously, witness surprises...

With his talent and thorough understanding of his old team – Barcelona, ​​Pep Guardiola returned to Nou Camp with the blue team with many expectations. In the end, there could be no surprises at Nou Camp.

The expectation of a sumptuous football feast, enough to satisfy the fans, was replaced by a solo performance from the home team. Individual mistakes and bad luck made them pay the price with a humiliating defeat of 4 goals to nil. The difference in class seemed to have been exposed at the Nou Camp. The Catalan team once again affirmed the philosophy of "form is temporary, class is forever".

Messi is still a nightmare for Man City but not for Barca (photo: Internet)

The conservative "mistake" of using tiki-taka to counter "super tiki-taka" has caused Pep to suffer the "hoisting of his own petard". Messi's hat-trick made Pep's face pale because of the bitter ending of this return to his old home. Meanwhile, the "clowns" of Man City boarded the flight back to the Foggy Island with the determination to take revenge, with an inexplicable resentment and an obsession that has not yet been let go.

At Etihad, the home advantage helped Man City turn pain into motivation, confidently attacking from the start. However, when they pushed their formation too high, they had to receive a "counterattack" from Barca in the 21st minute. The "sorcerer" was none other than Messi. It is worth mentioning that, after the "mistake" at Nou Camp, Pep Guardiola continued to be "conservative" with his philosophy when he continued to ask his students to focus on a ball control and attacking style of play against a team that was a "master" of that.

It seemed like the old scenario was being repeated once again. However, the difference was that the "defeated general" showed an unyielding, unbeatable spirit that blended into the opponent's pressing style. Pep's army quickly forgot their fear, obsession and Messi's new "slap" to play more confidently and master the game, playing better and better.

On the away team's side, Ivan Rakitic and Andre Gomes were completely overshadowed, while Sergio Busquets was closely followed and almost eliminated from the game, while the attack line was always in a "ball-starved" situation. Barca's lack of "brain" Iniesta and two other important pillars, Pique and Alba, as well as the mistakes of the defense, were part of the indirect reasons that allowed Man City to "run wild". In particular, if at Nou Camp, M10 was the center of attention, at Etihad, that was postponed by Gundogan's double and Kevin de Bruyne's masterpiece.

Man City's victory was surprising but deserved (photo: Internet).

Obviously, before the match, Man City was always considered the "underdog". However, no one thought that they would easily become "clowns" at Nou Camp and few believed that Etihad would come back to send their opponents home with a score of 3-1.

But all of that unimaginable was created with 8 goals scored, like a rain of two contrasting emotions. There was sadness - joy, hope and then overwhelming disappointment, obsession, confusion tinged with unimaginable and then the surprise happened. And this can be called a "historic victory" when for the first time, the Etihad team won against Barcelona, ​​after 5 consecutive defeats.

Kim Thuy