Manchester City’s Joe Hart saves from Barcelona’s Lionel Messi during the second leg of their UEFA Champions League pre-quarterfinal match at The Nou Camp, Barcelona.
DPA/Berlin
Not even a series of super saves from Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart in Barcelona could prevent a full Premier League exit from the Champions League ahead of the quarter-final stage for the second time in three years.
Superstar Lionel Messi named the England keeper “a phenomenon” and his Barca teammate Luis Suarez even shook Hart’s hand in utter admiration before the final whistle Wednesday.
Without Hart, City may have conceded half a dozen goals and not the one first-half chip from Ivan Rakatic which saw Barca through 3-1 on aggregate after they won the first leg at the Etihad 2-1.
City, who had Sergio Aguero fail to beat Barca keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen on a penalty, thus joined Arsenal and Chelsea on the sidelines in the last 16, with Liverpool not even surviving the group stage for the money-laden English sides.
“I don’t feel it’s a failure to be out of the Champions League but it is a disappointment. Unfortunately we played against Barcelona and right now they are a stronger side,” City manager Manuel Pellgrini said.
Gone are the heydays from a few years ago when England had three semi-finalists in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and a team in the final in seven of eight editions between 2005 and 2012. Manchester United and Chelsea even contested an all-English final 2008 in Moscow.
“Despite swimming in a sea of broadcasting cash, the Premier League’s strutting big names are not waving but drowning,” The Guardian said on its website, speaking of “central paradox at the heart of the Premier League’s money-spinning success.
“Just a month after unveiling a record-breaking domestic TV deal, the Premier League is left without a representative in Europe’s premier club competition.
“The very things that have driven relentless growth in television income and the Premier League’s popularity around the world - intense competition, every game a real contest, the emphasis on speed over thought - have arguably had a negative impact when it comes to Europe. While the number of games may be comparable in leagues across Europe, their intensity is not.”
But England were not alone licking their wounds Thursday, Germany also saw three of their four teams (Schalke, Leverkusen, Dortmund) left go out, with Bayern Munich their last hope to reach the home final in Berlin.
That will not please the clubs from the league of the world champions who just two years ago celebrated an all-German final at Wembley between Munich and Dortmund.
“This only confirmes our view from after (the World Cup final last July in) Rio: there is no rest, no leaning back, no letting down,” German football federation president Wolfgang Niersbach said Thursday.
Munich, who clobbered Shakhtar Donetsk 7-0 last week, remain the only consistent German team in the competition while Dortmund’s free fall this season culminated in Wednesday’s 3-0 home defeat against Juventus.
“We didn’t deserve to reach the quarter-finals,” admitted Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Guendogan after what teammate Mats Hummels named an “abysmal” second half.
Instead, the powerful Spanish trio of Barca and last year’s finalists Real and Atletico Madrid will await Friday’s draw in Nyon along with the French league duo of Paris St Germain and Monaco, Juve, Munich and Porto.
All clubs know there is no easy draw left although Barca and Real may hope to avoid being pitted against each other for another Clasico on the continent - two days before their league showdown Sunday.
“When you get down to the last eight of the Champions League, no matter which team you draw it’s going to be hard and they can make your life difficult. What will be, will be,” Messi said.