Manchester City drew 2-2 with Barcelona before losing 4-1 in a penalty shootout in their pre-season friendly.
Hansi Flick’s first game in charge of Barcelona had a good start but not without a meager challenge as the pre-season friendly match between Manchester City and Barcelona was delayed by 80 minutes.
What caused delay in Manchester City vs Barcelona friendly?
A storm around Orlando caused the pre-season meeting between the Cityzens and Catalans giant at Camping World Stadium to be pushed back by over an hour.
According to reports, fans in the sell-out crowd of 63,237 were forced to take shelter under the stands before the game eventually started.
Manchester City Vs Barcelona result
The match finally started following an exciting first half with three goals scored.
Pau Víctor opened the scoresheet for Barcelona before Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City equalized.
Pablo Torre secured a 2-1 lead for Barca’s inexperienced team in their first game under new coach Hansi Flick before it was leveled by Jack Grealish’s goal in the 60th minute.
The game eventually went to penalties, with Barcelona emerging victorious with a 4-1 win after Kalvin Phillips and Jacob Wright failed to convert their penalty kicks.
Pep Guardiola praises Jack Grealish
Manchester City have yet to win in pre-season but Pep Guardiola opted to be optimistic and said he was pleased with the “aggressive” performance of Jack Grealish.
The England international winger produced his best display for months in a hugely entertaining friendly between Guardiola’s City and Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.
Grealish played a crucial role in providing the spark for City as they made a comeback twice against a youthful and bold Barca team managed by Hansi Flick in their debut match.
Grealish played a key role in the first equalizer by patiently controlling the ball and passing it to Gvardiol, who assisted O’Reilly.
In the second half, Grealish, wearing the captain’s armband, continued his impressive performance by scoring City’s second goal, working well with Kovacic before slotting the ball into the far corner.
Guardiola, who had previously warned him about his performance last season, showed his approval by giving Grealish a pat on the back when he was subbed off.
The Manchester City boss said concerning Grealish: “I know in controlling the ball he is good, but he made four or five shots.”
“He has to prove himself but I am pleased with the game he played.”
What’s next?
Manchester City are gearing up for an exciting finale to their USA tour as they prepare to face off against Chelsea in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, August 3 at 22:30 BST.
The match will be a thrilling showcase of top-tier football as both teams look to finish their tour on a high note.
Meanwhile, following their clash with Chelsea, City will turn their attention to the highly anticipated Community Shield match against rivals Manchester United at Wembley on 10 August at 15:00.
The match is set to be a fierce battle as both teams vie for early-season bragging rights.
