Taylor convinced City can overturn three-goal deficit
Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor insisted his team could turn around their quarter-final.
Only a series of excellent first-half saves from goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck stopped the advantage becoming unassailable, but City – who saw a Chloe Kelly penalty saved – have it all to do in the second leg.
“We are capable of scoring that amount of goals to get us through,” a defiant Taylor said. “The way this team has performed this season, I think we can do it, no problem.”
Taylor’s team have, indeed, performed well and are on a 10-game winning league run, but they were up against a Barcelona side who have won all 20 of their league games with a goal difference of plus 96, and they repeatedly overran a City defence missing the injured
Steph Houghton. Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala broke the deadlock, firing in off the post, before striker Mariona Caldentey doubled the lead with a penalty after substitute Demi Stokes brought down Oshoala.
Kelly’s penalty was saved and then Sam Mewis sliced wide a giltedged chance, before Jennifer Hermoso tucked in a late third.
Barcelona (4-3-3) Panos; Torrejon (Crnogorcevic 80), Pereira, Maria Leon, Ouahabi; Bonmati (Hamraoui 70), Guijarro, Alexia; Graham Hansen (Martens 62), Oshoala (Hermoso 70), Caldentey. Subs Font (g), Meritxell Munoz, Melanie, Losada, Fernandez. Booked Guijarro.
Manchester City (4-3-3) Roebuck; Bronze, Dahlkemper, Greenwood, Morgan (Stokes 46); Mewis, Walsh, Weir; Kelly (Lavelle 70), White (Stanway 71), Hemp. Subs Taieb (g), Keating (g), Mannion, Coombs, Park, Davies. Booked Weir, Stokes.
Referee Tess Olofsson (Sweden).