Barcelona travelled to the Sinobo Stadium to take on Slavia Praha in the third round of the Champions League fixtures, and they got out of jail as they somehow held on to a 2-1 win.
The away team were quick off the blocks and Barcelona were able to win the ball high up the pitch for the first goal as Arthur set up Messi who scored with a simple finish. One might have thought that Slavia could end up getting battered when they conceded in the third minute, but they created waves of attack throughout the first 45. The brilliance of Ter Stegen kept Barcelona ahead as Slavia were able to dominate the game due to some sloppy play from the Spanish heavyweights and some brilliance from the home side.
The home team soon got their reward as Jan Bořil equalised early in the second half. Barcelona though hit back as Luis Suarez’s effort from a tight angle went in via a deflection. The game got extremely frantic at the end, and Barcelona could have killed the tie. Slavia had some decent chances themselves, but the Spanish champions somehow held on in the end.
Here is how Valverde’s men fared.
Marc-André ter Stegen 8
Made some crucial saves in the first half and kept his side in the game. His distribution was on point as always. A MOTM performance.
Clement Lenglet 5.5
Made some blocks and interceptions but was caught out of position on various occasions at the back.
Gerard Pique 4
The experienced defender had a shocker as he was sloppy on numerous occasions. Lucky that he wasn’t punished for giving the ball away cheaply. His positioning was also questionable.
Jordi Alba 6
Had a tough time defensively and couldn’t keep his man in check sometimes. However, his attacking output was impressive and created some dangerous chances for his side.
Nelson Semedo 7
His powerful running and energy troubled the Slavia defence initially. Held his own at the back and he was tenacious in his duels.
Sergio Busquets 4
Was almost invisible in the game as he failed to win the midfield battle. Slavia were able to bypass him far too easily as they pressed well.
Arthur Melo 7
Was unselfish to set up the first goal as he picked out Messi smartly. Had a tough battle in the middle but stood firm more often than not.
Frenkie De Jong 6
Had a patchy game as he had some good moments as well as some below-average ones. Gave away the ball cheaply on occasions.
Antoine Griezmann 5
Wasn’t able to get involved much in the game. Helped his team off the ball.
Luis Suarez 6
Missed some half-chances as well as some clear cut opportunities. Wasn’t at his clinical best. Stretched up play well from time to time. Did well to get his shot away from an impossible angle which went in through a deflection for the second goal.
Lionel Messi 7.5
Was in his element as he played some eye-catching through balls. Scored an early goal from close quarters. Had the chances to bury the game in the end but lacked the killer instinct.
Substitutes
Ousmane Dembele 5
Once again a usual performance from the Frenchman as he provided electric pace but horrible execution of shots and passes in the final third.
Arturo Vidal 4
Made some needless fouls which brought his side under pressure.
Ivan Rakitic N/A
Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
