News
Flick Secures First Victory As Barcelona Beats Man City In Pre-Season Friendly
The newly appointed manager of Barcelona, Hansi Flick, commenced his tenure with a resounding victory on Tuesday, as the Spanish club defeated Manchester City on penalties following a 2-2 draw at full-time in their pre-season friendly match in Orlando.
Toni Fernandez, who joined Barcelona earlier this month at 16, scored a left-footed goal against the reserve goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, securing a 4-1 victory for the German team in the penalty shootout.
Barcelona initiated their tour of the United States with a pre-season match against Manchester City, the reigning champions of the Premier League, under the guidance of former Barcelona player and coach Pep Guardiola.
Both Sides Proved Prowess
A record-breaking crowd of 63,237 spectators witnessed the match, which was delayed by 80 minutes due to a storm.
Despite this, the game commenced with a strong performance from both teams, allowing the reserve players ample time on the field.
Barcelona took an early lead of 3-0 through a left-footed shot by Alejandro Balde, which was saved by City’s reserve goalkeeper Ander Astralaga.
This set the stage for the remarkable performance of the young player, Toni Fernandez, who would score a goal in the match.
Pau Victor scored the first goal for Barcelona in the 24th minute of the match, receiving a quick through pass from Marc Casado and striking a right-footed shot into the goal.
In response, Manchester City’s Nico O’Riley scored in the 39th minute with a left-footed shot from the left side, following a pass from Josko Gvardiol, the Croatian international, who was making his debut on the US tour.
In the second minute of the first-half stoppage time, Pablo Torre’s strategic move resulted in Barcelona securing a 2-1 lead at halftime.
The 21-year-old Spanish midfielder received a centring pass from Gerard Martin at the left wing, subsequently nudged the ball to his right, and executed a powerful shot with his right foot, which sailed past Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson and found its way into the left corner of the goal.
Grealish Equalizer
In a dramatic turn of events, Jack Grealish managed to equalize for Manchester City in the 60th minute with an impressive display of speed and skill during a fast break.
Croatian international Mateo Kovacic, making his debut in a City match during their US tour, seized an opportunity with a loose ball just beyond the City’s box.
He skillfully manoeuvred past two defenders, sprinted forward with the ball, and passed it to English left winger Jack Grealish.
In a display of agility, Grealish outmanoeuvred a defender and scored an exceptional left-footed shot from a high angle, securing a point for City.
Barcelona is set to continue their pre-season tour of the United States with matches against Real Madrid and AC Milan.
City, having suffered defeats in previous US matches against Celtic and AC Milan, will conclude their tour with a match against Chelsea on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
