After an exhausting night in Portugal, Barcelona emerged as 1-0 victors against FC Porto away from home. The Catalan giants were dealt an early blow with Lewandowski’s injury, but his replacement Ferran Torres would end up being the show-stealer of the night.
For La Blaugrana, the result makes it two wins out of two in their Champions League group thus far. With six points to their name already and now being top in Group H, the Catalan giants under Xavi Hernandez will be feeling good about their campaign.
Here are ratings to display how the Barcelona players fared against Porto.
Player Ratings against FC Porto
Ter Stegen: 7.5
Highly dependable on the night and looked confident facing whatever threat came his way. Top-tier distribution as well that allowed Barcelona to often open up space that would not have been possible without the brilliant passing and vision of the German international.
Joao Cancelo: 7.0
Some brilliant moments were almost tainted by a completely unneeded handful near the end of the game. Apart from that, Cancelo simply seemed technically superior to all those around him and was absolutely pivotal in helping Barcelona retain control.
Ronald Araujo: 7.5
The Uruguayan was a brilliant partner to Kounde on the night and made sure Barcelona could salvage everything and anything from any attack that Porto managed to create. His return as a starter alongside the primary Barcelona defense will leave fans of the Catalan giants quite hopeful for what’s to come.
Jules Kounde: 8.5
Absolutely brilliant in terms of his defensive contribution. Made a few tackles in particular that could be argued to have been goal-saving ones. Moreover, his passing and awareness of when to pause the game were both quite handy as well.
Alejandro Balde: 7.0
While Balde was arguably a solid performer for Barcelona in most parts of the game when they had possession, he was unable to truly steal the show with his blistering pace and seemed rather fatigued. Could be time for some rest moving forward.
Oriol Romeu: 6.5
A bit uncertain of himself at times, Romeu at times seemed like the apparent weak link of the team. However, he soon grew into the game and his constant transitions with Ilkay Gundogan helped Barcelona assert themselves when playing out from the back before being replaced by Sergi Roberto.
Gavi: 6.5
Almost a game of elite brilliance, Gavi tainted his own performance due to unnecessary fouls. Ending the game with a red card that was not at all needed, Gavi was otherwise quite solid for Barcelona with his passing, dribbling, and even positional awareness.
Ilkay Gundogan: 8.5
Provided a consistent outlet to his teammates to pass to while also transitioning into other positions to ensure Barcelona maintained control. His assist to Ferran Torres was also a perfectly weighted pass and was arguably the key to all three points for Barca.
Lamine Yamal: 7.0
Despite being the youngest player on the field by far, having even broken the record for now becoming the youngest starter in Champions League history, Lamine Yamal was brilliant. Porto constantly struggled to deal with him and even though he was not at his shimmering best, he was still a handful for the Portuguese side.
Robert Lewandowski: 6.0
Substituted within the first as he suffered a strong blow to his ankle. The Polish striker did not have much of an impact during the time that he was on the field but the bigger issue will now be to assess how long before he returns from the injury he has just sustained.
Joao Felix: 7.0
One of the most dynamic performers on the field by far, Joao Felix made sure to give his former rivals for SL Benfica a good reminder of his abilities. Unable to contribute directly to a goal, but was influential in pinning Porto back from time to time.
Substitutes
Ferran Torres: 8.0
The Spaniard arrived with a bang in this game. Following Lewandowski’s substitution, Ferran Torres was introduced into the game and did not take too long to leave his mark. Right before half time, the 23-year-old took a great touch on a Gundogan pass and ensured a composed finish that ultimately gave Barcelona all three points.
Fermin Lopez: 6.0
The young star was involved on certain occasions but was unable to leave too much of an impact. Given the stature of the game and the point at which he was brought on, it seems unlikely that he could have done much else looking back.
Sergi Roberto: 6.0
Not enough influence on the game as a whole, Roberto was on the other hand a reliable utility player. Slotting right into the midfield, the Spaniard provided assistance wherever he could.
Marcos Alonso: N/A
Not enough time or influence on the game to warrant a rating.
