Rakitic on target as Messi-inspired Barca sink City

Barcelona - Ivan Rakitic has struck the only
goal as a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona sealed
a place in the last eight of the Champions
League with a 1-0 victory over Manchester City
on Wednesday.
The Argentine has been in blistering form for
the Catalan side and he delighted the home
fans in a packed Nou Camp, relentlessly teasing
the City players with his party tricks as Barca
completed a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Holding the advantage from the first leg, Barca
could afford to sit back and hit the Premier
League side on the break.
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City struggled badly in defence against Barca's
pace and movement, with the breakthrough
coming after 31 minutes when Messi found
Rakitic, who coolly lobbed the ball over visiting
keeper Joe Hart.
Barca also hit the woodwork through Neymar
and Luis Suarez, and keeper Marc-Andre ter
Stegen saved a Sergio Aguero penalty in a
victory that enabled them to reach the quarter-
finals for a record eighth successive year.
It is the second straight year that City have
been knocked out by Barcelona at this stage
and it means there will be no English
representative in the quarter-finals of Europe's
elite competition.