Has Messi's miss kept Man City's Champions League hopes alive?

Lionel Messi's late miss has kept the tie just about alive

After his late penalty was saved by Joe Hart, Lionel Messi somehow contrived to head the rebound wide with the goal at his mercy.

For many it was proof that the mercurial Barcelona number ten is indeed fallible but how important will Messi's miss prove to be when City go to Spain on March 18th?

All things considered, Manchester City must be somewhat pleased to have got out of the first leg with the tie still in some degree of balance.

A first-half double from Luis Suarez, Gael Clichy's red card 15 minutes from time and Messi's late opportunity from the spot were all factors that could have resulted in this tie being completely out of City's reach before they even set foot in the Camp Nou.

Against the odds, and thanks largely to the predatory instincts of Sergio Aguero, the Premier League champions have the merest whiff of a chance at a first ever quarter final appearance.

Despite Messi's late profligacy however, it remains just that. A whiff of opportunity that Barcelona look utterly capable of extinguishing in three weeks time.

Things started quite brightly for City, they enjoyed a fair percentage of possession and Manuel Pellegrini's decision to pair Aguero with Edin Dzeko in a two-man front line looked set to allow the hosts compete and ask some serious of questions of their illustrious visitors.

Alas any team possessing the sort of attacking malice promised by Messi, Suarez and Neymar is capable of inflicting a piercing wound without a moment's notice.

That was the case when Messi's harmless cross was deflected into the path of Suarez by City captain Vincent Kompany.

The former Liverpool striker was deadly in taking advantage, rapidly firing the ball beyond Hart to give Barcelona a crucial advantage.

With half an hour elapsed Suarez had doubled the lead and City's hopes appeared to be all but gone.

The La Liga side were pouring on the pressure, Messi effortlessly gliding into spaces with City's midfield of James Milner and Fernando dangerously unable to put a stop to Messi, Andres Iniesta and company.

At the half-time interval and with only a quarter of the tie gone, any boxing referee would have considered stopping the fight so assertive was Barcelona's grip on the contest.

Yet, from somewhere City summoned a comeback.

Maybe the visitors were guilty of a mental drop off given the position of dominance they found themselves in but City began to get a foothold in the game and it was no surprise when Aguero claimed a just reward with more than 20 minutes still on the clock.

The Etihad was brought to life as the home fans sensed an unlikely positive outcome but within minutes Clichy found himself trotting off for an early bath and Pellegrini was forced to remove David Silva for Bacary Sagna in order to try and keep the tie alive.

When Pablo Zabaleta upended his compatriot Messi in the box in the final seconds of the game the City full-back lay prone on the turf befitting a man that was aware he had committed a fatal error.

Should Messi convert, City would need to score three times without reply in the Catalan capital to advance.

Hart produced an excellent stop and fate smiled on City when Messi somehow compounded his error by failing to convert the rebound.

On the evidence of last night, it will be nothing more than a stay of execution for Manchester City.

"It was a very important save," said Pellegrini in the aftermath. "It would have been very difficult at 3-1."

It is unlikely the Chilean was attempting to suggest turning around a 2-1 deficit in Spain is going to be easy, but nonetheless it looks like this tie is beyond Manchester City already.

In Suarez, Barcelona have found the perfect foil to the mercurial but sometimes frustrating talents of Messi and Neymar.

Where before it was possible to frustrate Barca, the arrival of the Uruguayan means the threat is constant.

Suarez is willing to hunt for chances, as with his first goal last night, and when the chance comes he has a track record of brilliant finishing.

He brings a new killer dimension to Luis Enrique's team and City will be powerless to stop it when they trot out at the Nou Camp for the second leg.

Messi's miss is a delaying of the inevitable.