When Alexia Putellas was substituted within the 86th minute, Manchester Metropolis followers, tongue-in-cheek, taunted the two-time Ballon d’Or winner, by replying: “Who?”
Metropolis stored not solely the Barcelona captain quiet however among the world’s finest gamers in Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen and Patri Guijarro as they beat the Champions League holders 2-0 on the Joie Stadium. It’s the first time the Catalan giants have failed to attain within the group phases and solely the second time they’ve misplaced a fixture at this stage of the competitors.
Gareth Taylor’s facet confirmed completely different sides of themselves in opposition to what he and his captain Alex Greenwood consider are the most effective workforce on the planet. Metropolis have been aggressive from the entrance of their press and stable on the again.
Taylor used the identical beginning XI and construction because the 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion final month, bar one change: Mary Fowler began forward of Aoba Fujino on the suitable wing. Like with Brighton, he opted for Naomi Layzell at right-back and switched Kerstin Casparij, who often performs right-back, to left-back instead of former Barcelona defender Leila Ouahabi.
Taylor stated he wanted “aggressive full-backs” and Casparij restricted Graham Hansen’s risk on the suitable whereas Layzell thwarted the attack-minded Fridolina Rolfo on the left.
Metropolis’s intent to be on the entrance foot was clear from the whistle. Within the opening minutes Greenwood was virtually too aggressive when she stepped up halfway contained in the Barcelona half just for Bonmati to spin her and launch Graham Hansen on the suitable. The passage of play within the fourth minute ended with the Norway worldwide placing the close to submit. Moments later Laia Aleixandri spared Metropolis’s blushes with a objective line clearance after Ewa Pajor pounced on Vivianne Miedema’s underhit backpass.
Taylor’s ways have been excellent (Carl Recine/Getty Pictures)
However Metropolis stayed true to their plan and took the sport to Barcelona, an unfamiliar feeling for a facet who often dominates. They pressed Barcelona’s again line, which prevented the holders from progressing the ball. Metropolis received excessive turnovers resulting in assaults nearer to objective and have been almost rewarded with their efforts when Lauren Hemp struck the submit.
Every member of the Metropolis workforce knew their position and Taylor put his facet’s work price off the ball right down to “big belief”. At occasions, Hemp would decide to the press, then Miedema stepped up earlier than Casparij received the ball.
It was Casparij who triggered the transfer which noticed Jess Park’s shot palmed away by Cata Coll within the thirty fifth minute. That led to a nook which Coll didn’t get a hand to and Layzell poked the ball residence for her first senior profession objective.
🔵 CIIIIITYYYYYY !!!
Naomi Layzell transforms Joie Stadium into Dreamland, because the hosts lead the European champions.
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“We work on urgent from the entrance, in the beginning as a result of that’s the place it begins,” stated Greenwood. “Our press was so, so good.”
Metropolis operated with depth and bullied Barcelona off the ball, qualities famous by Bonmati. “They received a whole lot of duels,” the reigning Ballon d’Or winner stated. “We weren’t so able to need this type of duel.”
Barcelona’s new supervisor Pere Romeu recognized Metropolis’s aggressiveness earlier than the sport and tried to make use of the Blaugranas’ proper hand facet as an outlet. They have been thwarted, nonetheless, by Hemp, who precipitated issues for Ona Batlle at right-back, dispossessed Graham Hansen and nicked the ball off Bonmati and IngridEngen. The England winger made lung-busting runs up and down the pitch and within the second half slid to concede a throw-in slightly than a nook with as a lot willpower as her attacking pursuits.
“We put our our bodies on the road,” Hemp stated.
In the meantime Park was relentless, bearing down on Coll, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw muscled previous Mapi Leon and her and Miedema’s hold-up play was safe, permitting Metropolis to alleviate strain. Yui Hasegawa, in the meantime, spun Bonmati on events and intercepted Engen’s passes out from the again.
Within the first half Metropolis had 18 touches within the opposition’s field in comparison with Barcelona’s six however each side had three pictures on the right track. Metropolis, nonetheless, took their likelihood.
Within the second interval, Barcelona have been capable of finding areas behind Metropolis’s first line of urgent. They put Metropolis beneath extra strain and consequently created extra probabilities. Within the subsequent 45 minutes that they had 21 touches within the opposition field whereas Metropolis solely had three. At occasions Metropolis unnecessarily invited strain and Greenwood signalled for composure on the again.
Layzell pays shut consideration to Putellas (PAUL ELLIS/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
However, on the entire, the hosts stored a good construction and compelled the guests to shoot from distance. Bonmati, Claudia Pina and even Keira Walsh, the England and former Metropolis midfielder, tried their luck between the 59th and seventy fifth minute however Barcelona’s ending was not medical sufficient. Metropolis had fewer pictures general (13 to Barcelona’s 17) and pictures on the right track (4 to 6) however generated greater high quality probabilities.
“We knew we must climate the storm,” stated Taylor.
Whereas the momentum shifted in Barcelona’s favour, within the 77th minute Metropolis hit on the counter with a protracted ball from Layzell to Shaw who rounded Coll to double Metropolis’s lead.
🐰 Bunny Shaw doubles Metropolis’s lead in opposition to the European champs!
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Such an assured efficiency from Layzell, enjoying out of place at right-back as an alternative of her most popular centre-back position, was not a shock to Taylor, who described the 20-year-old as “humble” and “very coachable”. England supervisor Sarina Wiegman was in attendance — Layzell is on her radar.
The back-to-back European winners haven’t misplaced a recreation in any competitors for eight months however, as Bonmati stated post-match: “We weren’t at our greatest.
“I don’t need to have excuses. Everybody is aware of my opinion in regards to the league. It’s as a result of we didn’t carry out our greatest and we’ve to enhance.”
Taylor beamed on the followers as he walked throughout the pitch on the last whistle however he and Greenwood stated they won’t get carried away. However a hearth has been lit in Manchester.
“We’re not right here simply to be right here, we need to win it,” stated Hemp. “We’re going to try to go so far as we are able to. Nights like this — there’s nothing higher. That offers us starvation.”
(High picture: Shaw and Hemp take the acclaim at full-time. Carl Recine/Getty Pictures)
