GLASGOW City captain Leanne Ross said a Glasgow City side which started the game with one 16-year-old and finished it with two could hold their heads high despite conceding five goals in the shadow of the Camp Nou.

An early goal for Barcelona ripped up the Scottish champions' game plan, and two more just before the interval killed off the Champions League last 16, first leg, tie.

“When you look at the calibre of players Barcelona have got, even the ones they've left out of their matchday squad, it shows you what you're up against,” the 37-year-old former Scotland player said.

“They have fantastic individual players who are well drilled and know exactly what they're doing every single second of the game.

“We knew before we came here the type of task we were up against. In terms of losing five goals, yes we're disappointed, because some of them were definitely avoidable, but in terms of the tie we knew it was going to be very difficult out here.

“There's a lot of players in this squad who don't have the experience we need to come into a game like this – but it's something people like Carly (Girasoli), who is only 16, will learn from. She hasn't let herself or the team down tonight."

There was a bonus for City when Lieke Martens, the Dutch forward who was named the player of the tournament at Euro 2017, couldn't play because of an injury in the build up to the game. England striker Toni Duggan, meanwhile, was only on the bench.

For all that Barcelona quickly made it clear that they were going to keep possession and stretch the City defence on both sides, the Scottish champions made a remarkably assured start and created three early chances without troubling Barca goalkeeper Sandra Panos.

Nevertheless, Barca, who had come close through the prompting of Kheira Hamraui sixty seconds earlier, took the lead after 12 minutes. This time the French internationalist was the executor, taking advantage of poor City defending to collect Mariona Caldentey's cross, feign to take a shot, before pulling the trigger and sending the ball into the far corner.

Despite the early lead, and the space being afforded to Andressa Alves on the left, Barcelona were unable to immediately press home their advantage against a City side with 10 players behind the ball. Patricia Guijarro smashed the ball against the bar with a 20-yard shot midway through the half but Booth's side looked to be holding out, thanks to a fine save by Lee Alexander at the feet of Aitana Bonmati, until they conceded two goals in quick succession before the interval.

Yet again Alves was given far too much space on the left and eventually cut the ball back from the byline for Bonmati to convert. Three minutes later it was three – at the third attempt.

Alexander again did really well to block the first effort from Caldentey, then Marta Torrejon's shot was also cut out, but the ball fell to Guijarro in plenty of space and she completed a disastrous end to the half for the Glasgow side.

Barcelona took complete control at the start of the second half, forcing a succession of corners and pinning City back in their final third. Alexander, again, came to the rescue with another save from home captain Vicky Losada, but the Scotland keeper then gifted Barcelona their fourth, letting an Alves shot slip through her hands and into the net.

Central defender Maria Leon, with a low shot, made it five and Booth's side were relieved to hear the final whistle without any further damage - but only because substitute Natasha Andonova's late shot hit the bar.