Manchester City 1 Barcelona 2: Joe Hart insists hosts are still in it after late penalty heroics

Joe Hart denied Lionel Messi in injury time

(Getty Images)

Joe Hart insists Manchester City will have "a right go" in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie against Barcelona after his penalty heroics restricted the Catalan giants to a 2-1 first-leg victory at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

The England goalkeeper pulled off a superb save in stoppage time to prevent Lionel Messi from scoring from the spot to give Barcelona a 3-1 lead going into the second leg at the Nou Camp in three weeks' time.

Luis Suarez gave Barca a well-deserved 16th-minute lead and the visitors were cruising on the half-hour mark when the former Liverpool striker doubled their advantage.

City struggled to get a foothold in the game but Sergio Aguero kept them alive in the tie when he pulled a goal back in the 69th minute to set up an entertaining finish.

Gael Clichy was sent off four minutes later and, after Pablo Zabaleta felled Messi in the area in stoppage time, Hart saved the Argentinian's spot-kick to keep the Barclays Premier League champions in the tie.

It would have been cruel for City to have lost by two clear goals for all their second-half endeavour, and Hart maintains there is everything to play for at the Nou Camp on March 18.

Messi missed a penalty and then headed the rebound wide from close range to keep City holding on (Getty Images)

"I hope our second-half efforts are worth something," he told ITV. "We'll go there with a great group of fans, belief and a we'll have a right go."

Hart added: "We regrouped second half, put (Barcelona) under a lot of pressure, and we were good for a goal and maybe good for a result tonight."

Suarez's first-half brace illustrated why Liverpool were loathe to sell him in the summer and Hart was full of praise for the Uruguay striker.

"(He's) a fantastic player. What did they sign him for? £80million? What do you expect?," Hart added.

"He took his goals well. We controlled them well apart form the two goals."

PA