The removal of Manchester City from this year’s UEFA Champions League after a 3-1 aggregate win in the round of 16 by Barcelona over the Citizens sees the departure of Ivorian players Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony from the competition.

Popular players amongst many African football fans, the Cote D’Ivoire duo did not shine as expected in Wednesday night’s encounter against a talented Barca side which showed little mercy for the English team.

The score could have been much worse if it had not been for the fantastic goalkeeping of Joe Hart at the back for City, setting a record for the amount of saves by an English goalkeeper in the competition.

A phenomenal save from a one on one situation with Lionel Messi was particularly impressive, especially considering the unbelievable form the Argentine striker displayed on the night.

Toure was at fault for the goal from the Blaugrana, with Ivan Rakitic moving past the solid midfielder to score the only goal in a 1-0 victory that added to a 2-1 first leg triumph, making it 3-1 to the Spaniards.

The midfield general added a few strong attacking runs to his performance on the night, but defensively he was not his usual statuesque self, and was eventually substituted.

Bony has not yet gained confidence and found comfort in attack at Manchester City since his move from Swansea, and was not able to produce much in front for his side against the Spanish outfit, who kept the English under pressure with a constant attacking threat.

Both Bony and Toure participated in the successful 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition for the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire, providing a flurry of excellent performances to secure the title, with an eventual victory over Ghana in the final, following a tense penalty shootout.

Many believe that the pair are still recovering from that intense run of international games at the flagship African tournament, and their club form is suffering as a result.

Barcelona go on to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and on Friday a draw will take place where they will find out who their opponent will be. For Toure and Bony, however, the focus returns to the defending their English Premier League title, as they continue to battle Chelsea for top spot.