In the tenth minute, Barcelona won the ball in their own half, and Iniesta quickly passed it to Messi, who had dropped back into the middle. The Argentine superstar immediately carried the ball forward to launch a counterattack.
Messi first dribbled diagonally toward the right, as if he intended to combine with Pedro. But just after crossing the halfway line, he suddenly changed direction and cut toward the middle. With a burst of acceleration, he forced his way past David Silva, who was tracking back.
After breaking through, Messi continued advancing with the ball. Using a deft feint, he skipped past Busquets and carried it to the area outside the top of the penalty arc. Then he played a through ball, threading it between Kompany and Pepe into the box.
Joe Hart had originally been positioned near the edge of the six-yard box, but after Kompany and Pepe retreated, he also pulled back to the goal line. The instant he saw Messi's pass, he clearly wanted to rush out, but he hesitated. By the time he finally abandoned his goal, he was just a fraction too slow, and Villa had beaten him to the ball.
It might have been only a few tenths of a second.
That was all it took. Villa got there first, poked the ball past Joe Hart, and left the England goalkeeper rushing out in vain. He took another shot, and the ball flew straight into the empty net behind him. One-one!
The entire Louis II Stadium erupted in cheers once again.
Villa's goal brought Barcelona level and restored their morale.
From zero-one to one-one, the two teams continued trading blows in a fiercely even contest.
"For the first ten minutes, we've seen both Man City and Barcelona playing extremely positively."
"Neither team has shown the