A 1-0 victory on the night and 3-1 on aggregate saw Barcelona reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Rakitic scored the only goal of the game in the 31st minute, although the scoreline could have been rather embarrassing but for the heroics of City goalkeeper Joe Hart who made ten important and valiant saves.
Barca coach Luis Enrique and the man who dominated the match, Lionel Messi, both heaped praise on Hart’s performance in denying them a greater margin of victory.
In the other match played on Wednesday, Juventus proved too strong for Borussia Dortmund, the Italian side winning 0-3 to complete an aggregate score of 1-5. Tevez bagged a pair, Morata getting the third.