In what can be classified as only an abysmally lackluster performance from FC Barcelona, a 2-1 defeat by the hands of 4th-placed Real Sociedad leaves the Catalans with a sour aftertaste despite the La Liga title celebrations.
Here is how the players fared in the game:
Player Ratings:
Marc Andre Ter Stegen: 8.0
Despite the loss and conceding 2 goals in the process, Ter Stegen himself made a number of important saves that would keep the scoreline from getting even nastier. His clean sheet progression will have to wait yet another day, however.
Jordi Alba: 6.5
Made a few promising runs but ultimately could not do much to change the outcome for FC Barcelona in what was a visibly dull performance from the Spanish veteran. Even his typically accurate crosses were off-target on the night.
Andreas Christensen: 8.5
Arguably the man of the match on the night, his defense and midfield-splitting passes were a joy to behold and his absolutely resilient performance in terms of winning his duels was one of the main reasons Barcelona managed to seem like they had a hold on this game at some points.
Jules Kounde: 5.5
The Frenchmen had an uncharacteristically poor performance, with his lethargic positioning and sloppiness when on the ball, he was quite poor particularly when FC Barcelona conceded that first goal.
Alejandro Balde: 6.0
Having been outcasted to the right flank due to Jordi Alba being given the freedom to be deployed on the left. His creative output was thus quite limited and resulted in rather a toothless performance from the youngster.
Sergio Busquets: 6.5
The captain played a decent enough game and played with some reserved experience. Was greeted by an ovation from the fans when he came off in what a splendid gesture of goodwill by the Camp Nou faithful.
Frenkie De Jong: 7.5
Despite being fouled left, right, and center, the Dutchman swayed and dribbled his way through hoards of Real Sociedad defenders. Strong performance from the midfielder.
Franck Kessie: 6.5
In a game that would arguably have suited a more creative midfielder like Pedri, his replacement of Franck Kessie ended up being an unwise decision. The Ivorian was consistently swarmed by La Real players and given little to no chance to have an impact.
Ousmane Dembele: 7.0
The Frenchman was electric in both dribbling and constantly unsettling Real Sociedad. However, his end product was at times quite frustrating to make sense of, and made his overall performance that much off the mark.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.5
Scoring the only goal of the match for FC Barcelona, the Polish striker was kept at bay for a lot of the game, and fouled from time to time to no recognition from the referee, who even Lewandowski became quite frustrated with at a point.
Raphinha: 6.0
The Brazilian seemed to overdo a lot of the things he ended up doing during the game and came off as ineffective most of the time he was on the field. Definitely has had better performances.
Substitutes:
Marcos Alonso: 6.0
Had a decent outing once he came on for the underperforming Jules Kounde, and had a fair share of moments where he made some accurate passes and crucial wins in duels.
Ansu Fati: 5.5
As is becoming worryingly more and more common, Ansu Fati remains hesitant as well as slow in his decision-making. The Spaniard does not really help matters regarding rumors of his departure with performances like these.
Ferran Torres: 6.5
The Spaniard came on and assisted the only goal of the game for the Catalans. His involvement was mostly limited to that goal contribution, however.
Eric Garcia: N/A
Did not have enough time or influence on the game to warrant a rating.
Pablo Torre: N/A
Did not have enough time or influence on the game to warrant a rating.
