Barcelona faced off against Tottenham Hotspur at the Wembley Stadium yesterday night looking to consolidate their position at the top of their UEFA Champions League group. The Catalans dominantly began the match and broke the deadlock in the 2nd minute courtesy of Phillipe Coutinho’s finish. Ernesto Valverde’s men kept the pressure on and scored again in the 28th minute when Ivan Rakitic conjured up a fantastic strike to beat the Tottenham keeper. Barca went into half-time with a comfortable two-goal advantage.
Harry Kane pulled one goal back for the home side early in the second half, but Lionel Messi restored Barca’s two-goal lead by scoring in the 56th minute. Spurs refused to give up and scored another goal through Erik Lamela, but it turned out to be a consolation goal as the Catalans wrapped up the points in injury time when Messi scored again to hand Barca a well-deserved 4-2 victory on the night.
Let’s take a look at how each Barcelona player performed during the encounter against Spurs.
GK: Marc Andre ter Stegen – 7/10
The German goalie made some excellent saves during the clash and had an excellent game in goal for Barca.
RB: Nelson Semedo – 5/10
He coped with the threat of Heung-min Son quite well in the first half but was given a tough time by Harry Kane in the second.
CB: Gerard Pique – 8/10
The Spanish centre-back blocked a number of shots during the match and neutralised the threat of Harry Kane quite effectively.
CB: Clement Lenglet – 7/10
He made some excellent challenges in the second half and had a good game alongside Pique at the centre of the Barca defence.
LB: Jordi Alba – 9/10
The Barca speedster commanded the left flank and made some darting runs behind the Tottenham defence. He played his part in the lead-up to Barca’s opener and played a vital role for the Catalans going forward.
CM: Ivan Rakitic – 7.5/10
The Croatian midfielder scored with a majestic volley in the first half and retained the ball well during the game.
CM: Sergio Busquets – 8/10
He bossed the midfield and gave a defensive masterclass at the centre of the pitch. Spurs found it hard getting past him which clearly shows how vital he is to this Barca team.
CM: Arthur Melo – 7/10
There were a lot of positives for the Brazilian talent during the encounter. He retained possession well for his team and showed some glimpses of his brilliance in midfield.
RM: Lionel Messi – 9.5/10
The Argentine star put on a masterclass at Wembley! He scored two goals during the contest but could have scored even more if luck was on his side. Another memorable outing for the Barca legend.
ST: Luis Suarez – 7/10
The Uruguayan worked hard for his team and set up some chances for his teammates going forward.
LM: Phillipe Coutinho – 7.5/10
The Brazilian dribbler opened the scoring with a smart finish in the 2nd minute. He also set up Rakitic who scored with a magnificent volley from outside the box.
Substitutes:
LM: Rafinha – 6/10
He came off the bench to provide some fresh legs in midfield.
CM: Arturo Vidal – N/A
Not enough time to make an impact.
CB: Thomas Vermaelen – N/A
He hardly had any time to contribute to the game.
