Barcelona ran out 3-0 winners in the Champions League semifinal first-leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night…
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Here are the player ratings:
Barcelona
GK: Marc ter Stegen – 7
Did what he had to with minimal fuss.
RB: Dani Alves – 8
Supplied assist for Messi’s first, but missed a crucial chance in the first-half.
CB: Gerard Pique – 7
Commanding performance, and didn’t give Bayern a sniff.
CB: Javier Mascherano – 8
The former Liverpool man is the rock at the heart of the Barca defence, despite his size. Had Robert Lewandowski in his pocket.
LB: Jordi Alba – 7
Good going forward and in defence. Constantly provided an overlapping option.
CM: Andres Iniesta – 8
A metronomic presence in Barca’s engine room.
CM: Sergio Busquets – 8
Broke down attacks for fun, and provided Barcelona a wonderful platform from which they could perform.
CM: Ivan Rakitic – 7
Supplied an assist for Messi’s second, and proved why he was selected ahead of legendary Xavi.
ST: Neymar – 8
Grabbed the vital third goal. Improved as the game went on, and could have been awarded a second-half penalty.
ST: Luis Suarez – 8
Did what you’d expect – hassled, harried, and chased, although his end product wasn’t at it’s usual level, luckily for the Germans.
ST: Lionel Messi – 9
Two goal hero – man of the match. Messi’s first was sublime, but his second was simply jaw-dropping. The Argentine has probably finished the tie.
Bayern Munich
GK: Manuel Neuer – 8
Conceded three but made lots of top saves that kept Bayern in it for so long.
CB: Rafinha – 6
Given the runaround by Messi.
CB: Jerome Boateng – 6
Beaten too easily for Messi’s second.
CB: Mehdi Benatia – 5
Quiet performance and didn’t look confident – but he was up against the world’s best front-three.
RM: Thiago Alcantara – 6
Dangerous at times, but gave the ball away too easily.
CM: Philip Lahm – 6
One of Bayern’s better performers, but occasionally wasteful in possession.
CM: Xabi Alonso – 7
A good performance from the ex-Liverpool man, who controlled the game until Barcelona took the lead. Then, his influence faded.
LM: Juan Bernat – 5
Invisible for large parts.
AM: Thomas Muller – 6
Didn’t create enough for a player of his talent.
AM: Bastian Schweinsteiger – 6
Struggled to get into the game against a robust Barca defence.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 6
Looked like he needed more support and supply.