Courtesy of a brilliant combination between Alejandro Balde and Raphinha, as well as a great poacher’s goal by Lewandowski, FC Barcelona come away victorious from this crucial league clash against a formidable Real Betis side. This is how the players fared against the team from Seville.
Player Ratings:
Marc Andre Ter Stegen: 7.5
Composed as always on the ball, and was reliable when faced with a shot. The German international now has a 90% save record this season when facing shots, an unreal statistic.
Alejandro Balde: 8.5
Provided a masterful assist to Raphinha to open the scoring for the Catalans, the youngster was a thunderous presence down that left-hand flank, both offensively and defensively.
Ronald Araujo: 8.5
Masterful defending throughout the 90 minutes, it really is a shame that the Uruguayan’s efforts for a clean sheet were to be in vain courtesy of an extreme lapse in defensive concentration by one of his teammates.
Andreas Christensen: 7.0
An underrated yet talented presence in the heart of the defense, the Danish defender always seems to showcase just why he remains so important to Xavi’s main defensive lineup.
Jules Kounde: 8.0
More or less one of the most active players on the field, Jules Kounde had a resolute hand on being the man of the match for most of the game. Yet, most of the outlook on his game will potentially end up being a complacent and completely uncharacteristic moment where the Frenchman ended up chesting the ball into his own net.
Sergio Busquets: 8.0
A classy display by the veteran, his presence indeed ensued quality and instilled confidence among those around him tonight.
Pedri: 8.5
Absolutely magical in how he controlled the tempo of the game and dictated the run of play, Pedri was sincerely masterful in his midfield performance against Real Betis.
Frenkie De Jong: 8.0
The number 21 was also at his best tonight, quick as always in his thinking and equally as fast with his feet, the Dutchman was another classy act tonight.
Gavi: 7.5
Energetic as always, winning duels whenever and wherever he can, the youngster was evidently motivated with the weight of his new number 6. Hopefully a sign of many more good things to come.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.0
Despite scoring a goal thanks to a setup by Ronald Araujo’s header, Robert Lewandowski was a shadow of his usually quick-minded self and messed up touches and turns that on a normal day in the office for him he would have pulled off with ease. This could be due to him not having returned to full match readiness just yet following a 3-game suspension.
Raphinha: 7.5
Tapped in an amazing pass from Balde to open the scoring, Raphinha’s decision-making did remain frustrating, however. The player continues to show promise but also makes rather obnoxious decisions during the game, kind of reminiscent of his French counterpart who is currently sidelined earlier into the latter’s own Barcelona career.
Substitutes:
Ansu Fati: 6.5
Came on after the 80th minute for Raphinha, and was not able to really put a foot down properly. Did do what little was asked of him from time to time, however.
Ferran Torres: N/A
Too little time on the field to warrant a rating.
Franck Kessie: N/A
Too little time on the field to warrant a rating.
