An intense game ended with FC Barcelona sealing yet another crucial win in La Liga. La Blaugrana went a goal down early in the match, and there was a lot of pressure on them from there on. However, through grit, determination, and a touch of magic, Barcelona made a valiant comeback against Rayo Vallecano away from home.
A 2-1 scoreline, just like the last two games, was enough for Barcelona to win this game despite a controversially disallowed goal for the Catalan giants. Thanks to brilliant strikes from Pedri and debut hero Dani Olmo, all three points once again belong to Hansi Flick’s team.
Here are the player ratings for Barcelona:
Player Ratings:
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6.0
Poor positioning and reflexes from the German goalkeeper led to Barcelona conceding a very unfortunately early goal to Rayo Vallecano. He seemed to be much more alert in the second half, and his ball-playing improved as well.
Gerard Martin: 6.5
Despite his best attempts, Gerard Martin continued to struggle with providing offensive depth to his team. Defensively, however, the young fullback did quite well against the players he was marking.
Inigo Martinez: 6.0
Did not get called into action a lot, but when he did he was up for it. However, he was often overshadowed by the presence of the much younger Pau Cubarsi on the field.
Pau Cubarsi: 6.5
The young central defender stood out in the backline and added a lot of good passes. His vertical distribution and his aerial duels were both commendable on a night where Barcelona seemed to lack creativity at times.
Jules Kounde: 6.5
The first 45 minutes from Jules Kounde were extremely sluggish, and it led to several moments of frustration for the team as well. In the second half, however, he seemed much sharper and was on his toes whenever Rayo tried to advance.
Marc Bernal: 7.5
Did the dirty work when he needed to, and timed it perfectly. Moreover, his composure in the middle of the field and the way with which he handled himself was also commendable.
Pedri: 8.5
Brilliant and magical, few words can describe exactly how good Barcelona looks when Pedri plays well. His distribution was great, and his goal was only the cherry on top of a beautiful run of play that he orchestrated himself. What a player he is.
Ferran Torres: 5.0
Another lacklustre performance from Ferran Torres, as his offensive threat almost felt non-existent and his defensive workrate was not exactly noticeable either. Came off at halftime as well.
Raphinha: 8.5
From start to finish, yet again, Raphinha was brilliant for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. His intensity, passing quality, and ability to connect with his teammates gave him a lot to praised for. While he did get the assist for Pedri’s goal, he could have also gotten another assist had Lewandowski converted a chance he put on a plate for him.
Lamine Yamal: 7.5
As usual, the young Barcelona winger continued to make life difficult for the defenders marking him. While his intentions were always clear and his execution was nearly perfect as well almost all the time, he simply could not have the impact that he would have ideally wanted. Ended up giving the crucial assist that allowed Dani Olmo to score Barça’s second goal, however.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.0
Barely noticeable across the first half, the Polish ace had very little touches and was not even involved in any proper attacks for the team. In the second half, however, he had a great goal unfortunately ruled out and was much sharper as well.
Substitutes:
Dani Olmo: 9.0
Exciting from the moment he stepped on the pitch, Dani Olmo offered Barcelona a lot of answers on the pitch in a difficult moment. Beyond his creativity and link-up play, he constantly looked to directly thwart the Rayo goal as well. Eventually, he scored the goal he needed to make it the perfect debut at Barcelona. Worth the wait.
Alejandro Balde: 6.0
Barcelona looked much more comfortable with Alejandro Balde on the pitch, and that was all thanks to his pace and strength. Good display from the young fullback.
Fermin Lopez: 7.0
Instant impact from Fermin Lopez, and he reminded everyone exactly why he can not be slept on. The young Olympic winner with Spain came on near the end of the game and clearly became the standout performer on the field. Great cameo from the youngster.
