TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Luis Enrique has said that Lionel Messi will remain Barcelona’s penalty taker, despite La Pulga’s failing to net from the spot against Manchester City on Tuesday.
La Blaugrana won 2-1 in their Champions League last-16 first leg at the Etihad Stadium, but Joe Hart moved towards Messi’s bait, to the right, and failed to add a point for Barcelona.
“It’s a deserved result and one we must be proud of. These knockout matches are hard to close in a single leg,” Enrique said after the game.
“The first half was splendid and we had countless chances (to score).
“I'll stick to (looking) at the match as a whole, but we did very well in the first half, finding open spaces and moving the ball doing.
“We also defended very well. We were always going to have problems in the second half.
“Our rivals pressed us, and at times made us suffer, but the result is more than fair, even if we’ve played better this season.
“We’re very pleased with the result. Penalties are for those who dare to step up and our penalty taker is undoubtedly Leo Messi.”
Barcelona will return to face Manchester City in the second leg on March 18, the football-espana.net reported.
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