Barcelona Defeat Manchester City on Penalties to Get Hansi Flick Era Underway

Whenever Manchester City takes on Barcelona it is bound to be a red-letter day on any football fan’s calendar. And their most recent match up lived up to all the pre-match hype.

On 31st July, Manchester City faced the mighty Barcelona in their third preseason match at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Excitement reached fever pitch as the kick-off time drew closer. However, fans had to subdue their excitement, as a lightning storm delayed the match.  

Nevertheless, the highly anticipated match began, albeit after an 80-minute delay, as the weather gods finally relented. 

Manchester City vs Barcelona – Summary 

Manchester City vs Barcelona was one of the most highly anticipated games of the preseason. With both teams playing an expansive style of football, fans expected a cracker of a game. However, the Citizens have found it difficult to replicate the stellar consistency we have come to know in recent years. 

Manchester City have endured a rough start to the preseason. City began their preseason with a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Scottish giants, Celtic. They followed that up with another defeat, this time against six-time European champions, AC Milan. But against Barcelona, City raced out of the traps, as Erling Haaland came within millimeters of handing City the lead from Oscar Bobb’s cross in the 11th minute. 

Despite Manchester City’s early dominance, it was Barcelona who struck first in the game. The Blaugrana opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when a clever flick from Barca’s 20-year-old midfielder Marc Casado unlocked Man City’s defence, putting Pau Victor through on goal. Victor calmly slotted the ball past Ederson to hand Barcelona the lead. 

Manchester City equalized through 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly in the 38th minute, but Barcelona regained their advantage in the dying embers of the first half. 21-year-old midfielder Pablo Torre expertly controlled a low Gerard Martin cross, before firing a thunderous shot into the bottom right corner of Ederson’s goal. 

Both teams made wholesale changes after the half-time, with Man City withdrawing Ederson and Haaland. However, the loss of Haaland didn’t deter City from drawing level, as Jack Grealish equalized with a sumptuous left-footed finish in the 59th minute. The scores remained tied in regulation time, as a result, the match went to penalties. In the shootout, Barca came out on top, winning 4-1. 

Manchester City vs Barcelona – Post-Match Reactions

Following another disappointing result, Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, expressed his feelings in a post-match presser. Despite suffering a third straight loss on US soil, Pep remarked that he is seeing gradual improvements after every game. He said, “Every game we are getting better - our condition is getting better. Rico [Lewis], again, thank you so much, Oscar [Bobb], Nico [O’Reilly]... all. Kalvin [Phillips] made an excellent performance today. Josko [Gvardiol] the first minutes, Kova the first minutes, so yeah that’s really good.” 

The Man City boss also praised Jack Grealish’s “aggressive” performance vs Barcelona. He said, “He was aggressive. I know in controlling the ball he is good, but [tonight] he made four or five shots. This is what it is - he has to prove himself, but I am really pleased with the game he played.” 

Manchester City and Barcelona’s Next Game 

After their 2-2 draw against Barcelona, Manchester City face fellow Premier League giant Chelsea in their next preseason match-up. The game will take place on 4th August 2024 (Sunday). The match will kick off at 3:00 AM (Indian Standard Time). 

On the other hand, Barcelona will travel to New Jersey to face their arch-rivals Real Madrid on 4th August 2024 (Sunday). The match will kick off at 4:30 AM (Indian Standard Time).