Disappointed with the loss, "Manchester City" coach Manuel Pellegrini regretted that his players did not follow his instructions in the first half.
In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, the English champions lost 1:2 (0:2) at home to "Barcelona" team.
"I feel sorry, because in the first half we didn't play well. My players did not do what I asked of them - M.Pellegrini did not hide his disappointment. - We agreed to press high at their goal. We made a mistake when the first goal was scored. In the second half we were better and created opportunities. But in the last quarter of an hour, we played with only ten, so "Barcelona" took the initiative. It will be very difficult to come back after losing at home. But this team has the necessary will to try to do it."
"Manchester City" coach consoled himself that "Barcelona" leader Lionel Messi failed to score a penalty at the end of the match.
"If Messi had scored, it would have been even worse," - M.Pellegrini had no doubt.
"In football, sometimes you score a penalty, and sometimes not. It's normal," - said "Barcelona" forward Luis Suarez when asked about his teammate's failure.
"I hope this saved penalty will be decisive," - supported by "Manchester City" goalkeeper Joe Hart. - We will go to Barcelona, still having some hope. Until the first goal we pressed the opponents, but then we panicked a bit. In the second half we regrouped and pressed more. Unfortunately, luck turned away from us once."
"Manchester City" now has only a 6.93% chance of reaching the next knockout round, according to European cup competition statistics. After a 1:2 loss at home in the first leg, only so many teams have progressed throughout the history of European cup competitions since the 1970-1971 season (303 matches).
"We played a wonderful first half, although we could have scored more than two goals," - acknowledged L.Suarez, who scored in the 16th and 30th minutes. - In the second half, "Manchester City" returned to the game. They are a good team with a lot of quality in the midfield and attack. We can still improve, but we are "Barcelona" and will play the second leg at home. We must show how important it is for us to play at the "Camp Nou" stadium."
"We deserved this result and we must be proud of it," - rejoiced "Barcelona" coach Luis Enrique. - But such matches in the knockout rounds rarely end after 90 minutes. The first half was amazing and we had plenty of chances. The ball moved well, and we defended very well. The second half was more difficult. The opponents pressed us hard. We are pleased with this result."
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