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| Barça 1-1 Real Madrid Player Ratings | Image: FCB |
FC Barcelona put up a good performance at the Camp Nou, but couldn’t get the result they needed as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Madrid in the first Clásico of the 2016/2017 season in La Liga.
Barça controlled most part of the game and Luis Suárez opened the scoring for the hosts. Neymar, Messi and Iniesta then spurned great chances before Sergio Ramos scored a 90th minute header to make it 1-1 and break the hearts of Blaugranes world wide. The draw means Barça are still 6 points behind Real Madrid with 24 games left. Here’s how the players fared in the game.
BARÇA 1-1 REAL MADRID PLAYER RATINGS
MARC ANDRÉ TER STEGEN – 6.0
Pulled off some good and composed saves but wasn’t called upon to do something spectacular. Was more careful with his passing, had zero fault for the equaliser.
SERGI ROBERTO – 6.5
A great game overall. Looked confident and he did absolutely well in handling Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Looked great going forward and although he gave away the ball some times, he played matured and had a good game.
GÉRARD PIQUÉ – 7.5
Another day at the office for the central defender. Was solid throughout the game and he led the defence well, his passing was also spot on and he looked very composed. Kept Ronaldo at bay for the entire game but could’ve done better to stop Ramos’ equaliser.
JAVIER MASCHERANO – 6.5
Not a bad game from the Argentine. Was also solid in defence but had more problems than Piqué. Ronaldo got the better of him twice and he almost gave away a penalty early on with a foul on Vázquez.
JORDI ALBA – 7.0
Surprisingly great. Was very cautious in his going forward and was quite precise in defence. Pace helped on occasions. Very good game.
IVÁN RAKITIC – 5.5
An average game from the Croatian. Was no match for his compatriot Modric in midfield but he did very well to help Sergi Roberto on the right. Was subbed off for Iniesta in the second half.
SERGIO BUSQUETS – 8.5
Picked the right game to put up his best performance of the season. He didn’t get a foot wrong and won the midfield battle in style. Highlight of the game was when he sent Isco to Mars with a sublime fake turn. He was exquisite. This Busquets gives Barça hope of catching Real Madrid, hope he continues like this. Man of the Match.
ANDRÉ GOMES – 6.0
His routine move and pass game. Improved from his terrible display at the Anoeta but was still not special. Struggled a lot and didn’t combine well with his teammates.
LIONEL MESSI – 7.5
Played very far from goal in a playmaker role and he did quite well. He controlled at will, his passing was very great and he moved Barça forward on so many occasions. Didn’t quite impress in front of goal as he missed a great chance to make it 2-0. Great game.
LUIS SUÁREZ – 7.0
Man worked very hard the entire game as usual, didn’t let Real Madrid defence rest for a second. Had a shot blocked early on but scored on 53 minutes with a header to give Barça the lead.
NEYMAR – 6.5
Deserves a higher rating but I’m mad at how he missed the best chance of the game to make it 2-0. He destroyed Carvajal but then fired over the bar from close range with only Navas to beat. Got the assist for Suárez’s goal. Subbed off for Denis Suárez later on.
SUBSTITUTES…
ANDRÉS INIESTA – 8.0
No words… this man returned from injury in style. Came on and took over the game controlling the pace and fluidity, he made Barça look like Barça once again and engineered a brief spell where Real Madrid looked to be chasing shadows. No midfielder wearing white was a match for him. His beautiful pass to Messi was the highlight of the game. Just sublime.
ARDA TURAN – 3.0
Came on for André Gomes with around 15 minutes to play and was terrible. He subtracted from Barça and caused the foul that led to the equaliser. He shouldn’t have been brought on.
DENIS SUÁREZ – N/A
Brought on for Neymar with three minutes left and didn’t do much. His free kick cross presented Barça with a chance for the win though.
THE TEAM: 8.0
They played well, gave us hope again and this was down to the form of Iniesta and Busquets. Shows that there’s still some Barça left perhaps.
LUIS ENRIQUE – 6.5
Maybe should’ve started Iniesta but then bringing Iniesta on made Barça play their best football in a short spell this season. Shouldn’t have brought Arda on and should’ve known Madrid were going to stick with dead balls, hence brought Umtiti on. Result wasn’t his fault however, the players had the chance to increase the lead but didn’t take them.