Denied Incident: Messi Allegedly Clashes with Manchester City Players in Tunnel
Manchester City Secures First Win Against Barcelona in Six Attempts
In a thrilling Champions League match at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, Manchester City defeated Barcelona 3-1, marking the first win for the English club over Pep Guardiola's former team in six attempts.
The victory was marred by reports of a spat between Manchester City stars and Barcelona's Lionel Messi after the game. However, the exact nature of the incident remains unclear.
Initial reports suggested a conversation between Messi and Sergio Aguero, but it was later clarified that Messi did not speak with Aguero after the game. Fernandinho, a City midfielder, issued a statement on Twitter denying any involvement in the alleged argument with Messi.
The reported incident primarily centered on rumors of comments made by an unnamed City player to Messi. Messi scored the first goal for Barcelona in the match, but his mood seemed to soured afterwards. Aguero, who is close friends with Messi, did not engage in conversation with him due to Messi's apparent bad mood.
Messi maintains that he strongly upholds and values respect in and out of the pitch, and denies any instigation or provocation towards any player or team. No reliable sources or official statements have confirmed any physical altercation between Messi and Manchester City players or staff in the tunnel.
Ilkay Gundogan scored a double for Manchester City, with Kevin De Bruyne also scoring a goal, securing a 3-1 victory for the home team. Despite the post-match incident, Aguero and Messi remain close friends, with Aguero stating that he didn't know what happened and that the incident was not serious.
No other City player has publicly commented on the alleged incident. Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's head coach, firmly denied any claims of a fight involving his assistant coach Mikel Arteta. Guardiola noted that earlier rumors had blamed different players like Fernandinho, but these accusations were unfounded.
As of now, the nature of the reported tunnel incident remains a rumor or false report rather than an actual physical conflict. The focus should remain on the exciting football played by both teams in the Champions League match.
[1] Source: The Guardian
[2] Source: ESPN
[3] Source: BBC Sport
[4] Source: Sky Sports
[5] Source: CNN
[1] Despite the thrilling victory of Manchester City over Barcelona in the Champions League, a post-match incident involving some players, including Lionel Messi, has become a topic of discussion in European-leagues. [2] In the Premier League, the focus remains on the football, as Manchester City moved closer to securing their spot in the knockout stages after their win against Barcelona.
