The young Blues bowed out to a 5-4 defeat after Lorenzo Gonzalez’ 35th minute sending off swung what was proving to be an enthrallingly even encounter in the Catalan’s favour.
Fate dealt the Swiss youngster, playing only 25 minutes from where his family live, a cruel hand as he picked up two bookings.
The first for an innocuous coming together with left-back Juan Miranda and the second for a trip on the same player.
That proved to be the turning point, at a time when City were trailing 3-2 following an action packed half hour.
Carles Perez had given Barcelona an early lead, but City hit back through Joel Latibeaudiere and did the same again when Lukas Nmecha levelled following Alex Collado’s free-kick.
Ricard Puig had put Barcelona in the driving seat at the point Gonzalez was dismissed, but City were well in the game and the extra man told as Perez grabbed his second and Alejandro Marques scored to put the La Masia side 5-2 up at the break.
Barcelona made good use of the extra man in the second period, but an incredibly spirited effort saw Rabbi Matondo pull one back to give the Blues hope and though Nmecha scored with six-minutes to go, the 11-men held on.
What happened
Despite the early goal it was very much a contest that took a while to get going, but when it did, it was with great gusto.
Much of Barcelona’s best play was instigated by right-back Mateu Morey, who claimed two assists and teed up Perez for the first with a clipped ball over the top that saw the winger streak clear and sweep past Daniel Grimshaw.
But City weren’t behind for long.
Latibeaudiere channelled his inner Vincent Kompany to crash home Iker Pozo’s corner with his head and celebrate wildly.
And it was from there that game truly sprang to life.
Within four minutes Barcelona were ahead after Latibeaudiere’s foul on the edge of the area was punished by Collado’s fierce strike into the bottom corner, but we showed our character and the Nmecha brothers, Felix and Lukas combined on the counter and the latter was deadly to score from a difficult angle.
Barcelona were unmoved though and their talent was just as evident as our own.
They went forward in numbers and it was rewarded for their third as Morey’s centre was picked up by the unmarked Puig who stabbed home from close range to give them a lead, which the sending off prevented City from clawing back.
Gonzalez had been game in his defencsive efforts early on and was almost too keen to win the ball back as he tripped Miranda on half-way and saw his protestations ignored by the referee.
It was a bitter blow for Davies’ youngsters, who will still have had aspirations of winning the game at that point, but the size of the task ahead became evident only four minutes later.
Grimshaw had initially denied Marques, but failed to gather the ball in a six-yard scramble and when Miranda turned it into the path of Perez, he made no mistake before the Spanish outfit effectively ended the contest a minute before the break.
Morey was again the provider, crossing from deep, which Latibeaudiere failed to deal with and Marques was as calm as you like to dink the ball over Grimshaw.
It was always likely to be a struggle from there and so it proved.
Barcelona made their additional man pay as they kept the ball and tired City in sweltering heat, but Davies showed his intent with his substitutions, introducing Matondo for Pozo and pushing Garre forward when he replaced Bolton.
With the game being played in the Barcelona half, it proved effective and Matondo drove inside off the left-wing and smashed home to give City hope.
As legs grew tired, our youngsters went to the wall as we sought a way back into the game and it was the captain Nmecha who nearly dragged us back into it, stealing the ball off Arnau Comas’ toes, racing clear and firing to the ‘keeper’s left to set up a tense finale.
It was testament to the grit and determination this side has by the bucket-load that the score line was so close, but an equaliser proved elusive as Barcelona remained a threat on the counter.
How we lined up
Davies made one change to the team that beat Liverpool in the quarter-final, with Gonzalez coming in for Matt Smith, who missed out through suspension.
Grimshaw was in goal and protected by a back three of Garcia, Latibeaudiere and Francis.
Pozo and Dele-Bashiru anchored midfield with Poveda and Felix Nmecha just ahead of them.
Gonzalez and Bolton were on either flank, with captain Lukas Nmecha leading the line up front.
