Following a long, heated battle against Athletic Club, FC Barcelona emerged as the victors on matchday 10 in La Liga. The Catalan giants manage a victory where they just barely scrape through. A 1-0 win, highlighted by a particular youngster’s lone game-changing goal, is enough to ensure Barcelona take away all they can from this game.
A tense affair, both teams were in it for the win. However, the three points go to the home team in the Montjuic Stadium. Marc Guiu’s goal and Joao Felix’s immense performance ended up being key for La Blaugrana in wrapping up the game with all three points in the bag.
Here is how the players fared against Athletic.
Player Ratings
Marc Andre Ter Stegen: 7.5
The German seemed a bit shaken in terms of his ball distribution on the night. However, the element of his shot-stopping skills never took a break, ensuring that Barcelona remained in contention for three points across the 90 minutes against Bilbao.
Joao Cancelo: 7.0
Was strong on the night in terms of his defensive output. However, while having to deal with the likes of Nico Williams, Cancelo was not allowed to exploit his offensive capabilities too much. Not exactly his most dynamic performance yet.
Andreas Christensen: 6.5
Was decent enough in terms of his ball distribution and his technical prowess was there to see. However, his defensive positioning seemed worrying at various points and it could have harmed Barcelona much more than it actually ended up doing.
Inigo Martinez: 8.0
Impressive against his former side, Inigo Martinez was a man on a mission. His strength and character were at full display and he seemed intent on wanting to right the mistakes of the Mallorca clash. Solid performance overall.
Alejandro Balde: 7.5
Allowed to roam much more in this game, Balde was back to his blitzing best. Traveling alongside the left flank at blazing speeds, he provided some great cutbacks and low passes that could have ended up as assists on another night.
Oriol Romeu: 6.5
Was reliable enough in terms of his defensive contributions on the night, but was worrying at times nonetheless. While his passing was definitely much more sensible, he still needs to maintain consistency throughout the match.
Gavi: 8.0
There is no doubting Gavi’s immense talent, but his determination is not far behind either. Consistently involved in every aspect of the game, whether it be helping to create chances or dropping deep to help out with defending, the youngster continues to prove his doubters wrong with classy performances one after another.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7.5
The German midfielder was effectively using his teammates to his favor. Stringing together impressive passes, he ensured that the players on the left wing and flank continued to be fed with exquisite passes. He helped carve open the Bilbao defense on several occasions.
Ferran Torres: 7.0
The Spaniard seemed out of place on the wing for some time during the match. However, the Barcelona winger showed promise on several occasions. Some of the chances he created should have led to more had his teammates converted them.
Joao Felix: 9.0
Playing as the team’s main central outlet in attack, Joao Felix was immense. His quality on the ball and off of it were both on display to witness. Ended up providing the game-winning assist in the 80th minute, but his performance leading up to that moment was nothing short of absolute brilliance.
Fermin Lopez: 6.5
The 20-year-old tried his best to play the winger role as effectively as possible. Made some good runs but was unable to finish off the chances that came his way when in actuality, he should have made more out of them.
Substitutes
Ronald Araujo: 6.5
The Uruguayan was immense after coming on. Taking the place of Andreas Christensen, Araujo was a clear dynamic change from the get-go. His ability to win duels was at full display once he truly arrived into the game and helped calm some nerves.
Lamine Yamal: 5.5
The 16-year-old has superhuman talent, and continues to showcase that in almost every game. However, one of the moments where he seemed all too human was when he missed a great one-on-one chance against Unai Simon. Set up perfectly by Joao Felix, Yamal completely ended up missing the target.
Marcos Alonso: 6.0
Was decent enough after coming on. Did not have much to do or compete against, but helped Barcelona see through the game once the goal came.
Marc Guiu: 7.5
The hero of the hour, Marc Guiu was the difference for Barcelona on the night. Scoring in less than a minute after coming on, the 17-year-old has made history and immortalized his name already. A true sensation who has just made his official debut for FC Barcelona.
