Mikel Arteta has been identified by the Spanish media as the Manchester City member involved in a tunnel bust-up with Lionel Messi following the Premier League giants’ 3-1 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday night (1 November).
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“Considering the short time we’ve been together, against the best team in the world, our victory today is so important”.
With this win Pep Guardiola-coached City have seven points from four games and are second in the Group C behind Barcelona, who have nine points.
Now, please, can we get a Tunnel Cam installed for Barcelona’s next game?
Having lost 4-0 in Spain last month, there was some trepidation that the Blues could face another torrid night against the attacking trio of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, and such fears appeared to be founded when Messi scored inside 20 minutes.
“It was one of the best 40 minutes we have played on a stage like this against top-quality rivals”.
“The English teams that have done well against Barcelona have been very lucky of their goal keeper has been man of the match”. I know him well enough to know when he’s bad, when he’s good.
City have faced a long and hard journey to establish themselves among the elite but this win, perhaps more than anything on last season’s run to the semi-finals, gave the impression they truly belonged there. The game could have got away from the hosts as Barca spurned a succession of chances to increase their lead, but instead a Sergi Roberto error allowed Sergio Aguero and Sterling to set up Gundogan.
Aguero said his friend and compatriot Messi had clearly been “feeling bad” when he saw him at the end of the game, in which City recovered from going a goal behind to win 3-1.
Aguero suffered disappointment of a different kind himself in their previous meeting two weeks ago, when he was left on the bench for the first 79 minutes of City’s 4-0 defeat in the Camp Nou.
“We need to bag three points as much as possible to become the champions”. “Now they will realise, ‘Wow, we won against the best team”. “Without him we can not achieve our targets”. If Barca score the second goal, then the game’s done. We show many good things and I am so happy for the players.
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“I am totally unaware where from rumours could have emerged related to an alleged argument and provocation on my behalf towards Messi”, the Brazil worldwide wrote.
