Football
9y

Luis Enrique happy with win, not concerned by Messi's penalty miss

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said he was very happy with the result in Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League last-16 first leg win at Manchester City, even if a late penalty missed by Lionel Messi might have given the Catalans an even bigger advantage in the tie.

Barca completely dominated the first half and were in control at the break after two well-taken goals from Luis Suarez, but City came into the game after half-time and got one back through Sergio Aguero.

After the home side had been reduced to ten men with Gael Clichy sent off for two yellow cards, Messi could have put Barca far out of sight when he was felled for a penalty during added time by his Argentina teammate Pablo Zabaleta. However the Blaugrana No. 10 saw his penalty saved by City keeper Joe Hart, and then embarrassingly headed the rebound wide of the gaping goal.

Pressed on Messi's penalty miss by reporters aware of the pair's issues in the past, Luis Enrique refused to be drawn on any potential controversies.

"This sport is like this, difficult against a great opponent. What you must do is look at how the players did today," he said. "It is still all open ahead of the second game. This sport is like this, marvellous, anything can happen, but we must enjoy what the players did today.

"We know penalties can be missed in this game of ours, only those brave enough to take them can miss, and the next to take one will be Lionel Messi.

"Messi was at a very high level today, just like the whole team, helping us so much in every element of the attack, and also in transitions, as today we needed to defend as a block."

Asked if he was disappointed not to have taken a greater lead into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 18, Luis Enrique said that on balance he was proud of his team and happy with the result.

"We have to be happy as we have won away at a great team," Luis Enrique said. "We would have taken this before the match, it is a win. It is a deserved victory. We need to be proud of victories like this.

"We were great in the first half, superior in the centre of the park, able to create dangerous situations. In the second half, the opponent pressed us and had chances, especially at set-pieces.

"We knew they would come at us. They have quality. We had to suffer a little bit but the result was more than fair."

The night was a sweet one for former Liverpool player Suarez, who was booed by City fans but reacted by scoring two excellent poacher's goals when Barca were on top in the first half. After the Uruguayan's first double in a Barca shirt, Luis Enrique said both he and his No. 9 had always had confidence he would score plenty.

"I have always seen Luis Suarez with the same confidence, whether he scores or not," he said. "He is a top level player. That is why we signed him, and he is responding to the expectations created."

Luis Enrique also steered away from controversy when asked about the reaction of right-back Dani Alves to being substituted late on, with TV pictures showing the Brazil international kicking a line of water bottles in apparent frustration at the decision.

"[Alves] had received bang in the challenge from Clichy, and we had decided to take off players who were booked so to not have a player less," he said. "Players show their state of mind, depending on how their game goes. You'd have to ask him."

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