FC Barcelona took on Belgian side Royal Antwerp as their first opponents of this season’s UCL campaign. Emerging as convincing 5-0 winners, La Blaugrana had many positives to take away from the clash against the Belgian champions.
With the UEFA Champions League now having fully kicked off, Barcelona are beginning to truly take away a taste of the things to come with this special group of players. Xavi Hernandez in particular will be very pleased with the performance as well as the outcome.
Here are the ratings for the Barcelona players.
Player Ratings
Ter Stegen: 7.5
Hardly troubled in the first half, the German goalkeeper mainly had to pay attention towards his distribution which he maintained a fine form in terms of. In the second half, the pattern mainly continued and the Barca captain remained mostly untested.
Joao Cancelo: 7.5
The Portuguese star showed his offensive capabilities against Betis, but against Antwerp, he managed to showcase his defensive strengths as well. Connecting well with teammates and making some necessary tackles as well, the 29-year-old was a great asset to have for Barcelona.
Andreas Christensen: 7.0
The Danish defender remained steadfast throughout the game and made sure to keep his side’s defensive structure intact at all times. Even as most pushed forward, oftentimes Christensen would remain the only Barcelona defender to remain the last line of defense.
Jules Kounde: 7.5
Growing in confidence game by game, Kounde has truly made the center-back position his own for the taking. Making necessary defensive interventions while simultaneously also making more aggressive offensive contributions, the Frenchman is key to Xavi’s Barcelona and it shows.
Alejandro Balde: 7.5
A bit reserved at times, but the Spaniard managed to get a goal contribution himself as well. Providing the shield and pass to Gavi to score Barca’s fourth of the night, the electric fullback was solid in his own right during the game.
Frenkie De Jong: 7.5
Carrying the ball across the field while also tending to his defensive duties as the team’s primary pivot, the Dutchman had a composed and solid outing for Barcelona. A particular highlight was his ball towards Felix that was progressed into Barca’s second goal of the night.
Ilkay Gundogan: 8.0
Provided the direct assist that led to Joao Felix scoring the opener for Barcelona. Ilkay Gundogan’s performance was a great display of a technically aware player that does not linger longer than needed on the ball and most of the time always ends up choosing the right outlet to dispatch the ball towards.
Gavi: 8.0
The youngster was tenacious in terms of winning the ball back consistently for Barcelona over the course of the game. Moreover, he was later on even rewarded with a goal for himself in the second half as he dispatched a powerful shot into the roof of the net with his weaker left foot.
Raphinha: 8.0
The Brazilian can claim to have been heavily involved in two goals for Barcelona. Providing an assist to Felix for the second goal scored by the Portuguese star, as well as being the primary source for the deflected third goal scored by Barca, the 26-year-old had a solid influence on the game.
Lewandowski: 8.5
Scoring a goal following a great assist by Joao Felix, Lewandowski’s movement and hunger to find the back of the net seem to have found their best versions yet this season. La Blaugrana will be hoping the Polish striker can continue this form moving forward into the season.
Joao Felix: 9.5
Scored two well-timed and well-placed finishes in the game, as well as providing a stunning first-half assist to Robert Lewandowski, Felix made quite the impact on the night and can easily be argued to have been the MVP for Barcelona for the game.
Substitutes
Oriol Romeu: 6.0
Brought a certain defensive rigidity to the team upon his arrival as a substitute for Frenkie De Jong. The veteran Spaniard provided some great movement between the lines and became an asset for his Barcelona teammates to circulate possession of the ball through.
Fermin Lopez: 6.0
Daring and extravagant with his attempts and challenges, the 20-year-old came into the game with a proper objective in mind. Wanting to make an impact, the Barcelona subsidiary star made sure to do just that within the minutes he was allowed to feature in.
Ferran Torres: 6.5
Tricked and weaved his way past defenders with ease and even provided some quick intricate passes to his teammates in the short duration that he was on the field. Ferran Torres even came close to scoring a sixth for Barcelona, but luck was just not on his side for the night.
Lamine Yamal: 6.5
Promising in the buildup and even more impressive in terms of leaving his opponents scampering to their feet. However, the 16-year-old should have arguably finished off two very solid chances that he overcomplicated and made a rather unnecessary mess out of.
Sergi Roberto: N/A
Not enough time on the field or influence on the game to warrant a rating.
