Barcelona faced off against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium earlier tonight as they hoped to earn a good result on the road in La Liga. The Catalan club made a solid start to the game but conceded the opening goal in the 44th minute when Hugo Duro found the back of the net. However, Robert Lewandowski equalised for Barca in the dying embers of the first half as the two sides went into the half-time break with a 1-1 scoreline.
Lewandowski scored again for Barcelona from the penalty spot in the 49th minute. The contest ended with Hansi Flick’s men earning a hard-fought 2-1 win away from home.
Let’s take a look at how each Barcelona player performed during the clash against Valencia.
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6/10
The German keeper made one good save at the back but failed to keep a clean sheet.
RB: Jules Kounde – 6/10
He performed his defensive duties well but offered very little going forward.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 6.5/10
Cubarsi put his foot through the ball when needed and did enough to restrict the opposition to just one goal.
CB: Inigo Martinez – 6/10
He dealt with the danger when required and was strong in the air.
LB: Alejandro Balde – 7/10
He earned possession back once and put in a bright display in the Valencia half.
CM: Marc Bernal – 6.5/10
Bernal got stuck with a few solid tackles to make life tough for the opposition.
CM: Marc Casado – 7/10
He did his fair share of defending at the centre of the park and managed to create two good chances in the final third.
RW: Lamine Yamal – 7.5/10
Yamal was a constant menace on the right wing and has got an assist to show for his efforts.
CAM: Raphinha – 7.5/10
Raphinha engineered a few decent chances for others around him but there was no goal for him tonight.
LW: Ferran Torres – 6/10
The Spaniard caught the eye at times but failed to threaten the Valencia goal.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 8/10
Lewandowski scored two important goals for Barcelona on either side of the half-time break which was enough for them to secure the win.
Substitutes:
CB: Andreas Christensen – 6/10
He was solid at the back.
LB: Gerard Martin – 6.5/10
Martin made one decent chance going forward.
CM: Pedri – 6/10
He added some energy to Flick’s midfield.
CB: Eric Garcia – 6/10
Garcia didn’t do much wrong at the back.
ST: Pau Victor – N/A
