Barcelona clashed heads with Athletic Bilbao at the San Mamés Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to secure maximum points on the road. Both sides fought tooth and nail in the first half but struggled to make the decisive breakthrough as they went into the half-time interval with a goalless scoreline.
It was the home team that came out strong in the second half and managed to get themselves ahead courtesy of Inigo Martinez’s goal in the 50th minute. However, Memphis Depay equalized for Barca in the 75th minute to set up a grand finale. The night ended in a sour note as Eric Garcia was given his marching orders after being booked twice as the Catalans were held to a 1-1 draw away at Bilbao.
Let’s take a look at how each Barcelona player performed during the match against Athletic Bilbao.
GK: Neto – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made a handful of important saves to keep his team in the game. However, there was no clean sheet for him tonight.
RB: Sergiño Dest – 7/10
He kept a solid shape at the back and made a few promising runs down the right flank.
CB: Eric Garcia – 6/10
Garcia had a night of mixed emotions. He was defensively resolute for most of the contest but got booked twice and was sent off in injury-time.
CB: Gerard Pique – 7/10
The Spaniard was quite effective during his time on the field. He made plenty of crucial clearances inside his half but had to be taken off in the 30th minute.
LB: Jordi Alba – 6.5/10
Alba worked hard defensively and cleared his line when needed. However, he offered very little in the final third.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – 8/10
He was probably Barca’s best player on the pitch tonight. The Dutch midfield ace made some intelligent runs with the ball and created a couple of decent chances for his teammates in the Bilbao half.
CM: Sergio Busquets – 7/10
The Spanish midfielder protected his backline quite well but failed to influence the game going forward.
CM: Pedri – 6/10
The talented youngster kept the ball moving relatively well but struggled to make himself useful in the attacking end of the pitch. He got substituted just after the hour mark.
RW: Antoine Griezmann – 6/10
The Frenchman’s impact in the game was minimal in the opposition half. However, he did his fair share of defending when required.
ST: Memphis Depay – 7.5/10
Depay was a constant goal-threat and deserves credit for netting Barca’s equalizer in the second half.
LW: Martin Braithwaite – 6/10
Braithwaite was ineffective throughout his time on the pitch and was taken off in the 61st minute.
Substitutes:
CB: Ronald Araujo – 6/10
He stepped up to replace Pique in the 30th minute but will be disappointed for conceding a goal early in the second half.
CM: Sergi Roberto – 7/10
Roberto picked up a useful assist for setting up Depay’s goal.
LW: Yusuf Demir – 6/10
He hardly got a foothold in the game.
RB: Emerson Royal – N/A
He did not get enough time to influence the game.
