MANCHESTER, England– How do you defeat the best team in Europe? Just ask Manchester City.
The Women’s Super League team returned to continental football and enacted the perfect game plan to foil the reigning UEFA Women’s Champions League title holders Barcelona and claimed an emphatic 2-0 victory at the Joie Stadium, proving that even the best team in Europe is beatable.
The 2-0 scoreline does not entirely reflect how well Manchester City played to keep the dominant and aggressive Barcelona at bay. City were the perfect example of how to contain the usually formidable Catalans, even when the visitors began to apply pressure.
“The performance in the first half was top, and so was the second [half],” manager Gareth Taylor said of his side’s emphatic performance.
“The level that we played to in the first half was very, very good. I felt, with all my respect to Barcelona, we could have been maybe three or four up due to the opportunities we created and the pressure we put on them.”
It was a fast start from the hosts that took Barcelona by surprise. Out of the gate, Taylor’s side meant business and knew they could not switch off to allow Barcelona to take advantage.
City created plenty of chances but squandered the end product, with their final touch and decision-making often going awry. However, the nature of their attack and ability to generate a persistent press left the three-time champions on the back foot.
The anticipation was palpable, as the sold-out crowd knew the breakthrough was coming from the relentless pressure, and it came from the most surprising of players. Naomi Layzell, 20, signed in the summer after fighting and ultimately losing the battle to stay in the WSL with Bristol City last season. Visiting shot-stopper Cata Coll had made a massive save just minutes before denying Jess Park, but after a poor corner clearance and a scramble in the box, Layzell managed to slide home amidst a sea of Catalan shirts.
Layzell had never scored for a club before netting during her Champions League debut on Wednesday. Questions were raised over whether she would be able to handle the pressure of facing Barcelona’s formidable attack. Despite some nervy moments, she rose to the occasion.
Barcelona were the toughest challenge that Taylor’s side could have faced. Not only have they won the competition back-to-back, holding the title for the past two seasons, but City have not actually featured in the continental competition since the 2020-21 campaign, where they reached the quarterfinals.
City were knocked out in the qualifiers by Real Madrid in two consecutive seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23) before finishing the WSL in fourth, one place outside of the qualification spots for the tournament in England.
There was one thing that City fans knew that Barcelona perhaps did not expect. The Joie Stadium is City’s fortress. It has been the purpose-built home that many teams have journeyed to and left empty-handed. Before Brighton & Hove Albion broke the record last season, City were unbeaten at home in 21 consecutive games. The 5,508 fans — a new record for the club — were hostile towards the Catalans and this only spurred the hosts on when Barcelona began to grow back into the game.
The second half was a better show from the visitors as they corrected some of the pitfalls that allowed City to claim control. They closed down City’s ability to win the ball back in high areas and began peppering the final third with more conviction than in the first half.
Yet their charge to level was in vain as the inevitable WSL Golden Boot winner Khadija “Bunny” Shaw charged down on goal — following Layzell’s pinpoint ball — and worked around Coll to slot home, taking the wind out of the visitor’s sails.
It was a master class in enacting and succeeding a game plan against the best-rated team in Europe.
“They’re one of the best in the Champions League,” Barcelona manager Pere Romeu said after the game.
Barcelona are a changed side since they won the Champions League in May. The exit of manager Jonatan Giraldez to NWSL side Washington Spirit has left a notable sap in the side who usually looked so confident and assured of the game plan. Romeu added that Barcelona needed to be more clinical moving forward.
City’s growth since they last played in the competition and last faced Barcelona, a 3-0 loss to the Catalans, can be chalked up to the growth in the WSL. As the league has developed exponentially, the competitiveness and quality of the league as been on an upward trajectory, meaning that when City regained their European contention, they were able to carry themselves and their game plan with aplomb.
Their impressive performance, however, was a stark contrast to their domestic title rivals Arsenal, who were humbled by Bayern Munich 5-2. On Saturday, the Gunners face Chelsea — who held on to a 3-2 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday.
The result is massive for Manchester City, who are now sitting top of their group in the competition. It is not catastrophic for Barcelona, who still have their home leg on Dec. 18 as a rematch. However, the early shock defeat does bode the question of whether teams are closing the gap on Barcelona’s reign of dominance.
