Defeat in their last, weather-battered home game against Celtic two weeks earlier had already left Andy Welsh’s side with no credible hope of reaching the knockouts to be staged in the New Year.
Nevertheless, they travelled in hope to face the Catalans only to find leaders Barca once more able to produce a match-winning player, this time in the shape of 16-year-old Sandro Ramirez.
At Hyde, it was Miguel Angel who conjured a sensational winner for the 2-1 defeat that got City’s NextGen campaign off to an exciting but ominously fruitless start back in September.
This time, it was young cadet Ramirez, already being tipped for a first-team future with the European champions, who ensured City suffered their fourth successive defeat in the competition
Having been buoyed by the first team’s Champions League triumph over Villarreal at El Madrigal 24 hours earlier, the boys Blue were unable to make it a week of Spanish highs for the club.
Indeed, City were facing an uphill struggle once Ramirez, a Spanish Under-17 international forward from the Canary Islands, had broken the deadlock after 24 minutes.
And they were really up against it when, just five minutes from the sanctuary of half time, Sanchez collected a pass from Alex Moreno and slotted Barcelona’s second past Erik Johansen.
It might have been worse, but the City keeper did well to save from Gustavo Ledes’ free kick just before the break, but Barcelona were not about to leave it there.
City had lost Denis Suarez to an injury before substitute Miguel Maza scored the home side’s third with a superb free kick, and Ledes added a fourth with the clock on 86 minutes.
Jordy Hiwula gained some reward for his persistence when he pulled one back for the Blues a minute after Ledes’ goal, but there was precious little for City to celebrate.
