Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Player Ratings: Xavi’s men earn statement win with a 3-0 thrashing
Barcelona’s remote hopes of winning the Spanish La Liga received a good revival on Sunday (Mar 17) after they outclassed giants Atletico Madrid. Playing at home, Diego Simone’s side was dashed 3-0 in front of their own supporters as Barcelona climbed second in the La Liga standings. The defeat also ended any potential hope for Atletico in the title race, as they were never in the competition. Here are the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona player ratings of both sides as the teams now head for the international break.
Barcelona Player Ratings
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (7/10)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen made several outstanding stops to maintain Barca’s lead. He was superb and was credited with a clean sheet.
Jules Kounde (8/10)
Jules Kounde was assigned the task of primarily keeping Lino quiet during the first half. While he made the defensive plays appear simple, he was a little clumsy when he had the ball.
Ronald Araujo (8/10)
Ronald Araujo was huge in the air as he engaged in combat with a shifting group of strikers from Atleti. A few shaky moments, but overall a strong backline effort.
Pau Cubarsí (7.5/10)
Pau Cubarsí had another outstanding performance from the adolescent. Morata occasionally caused him trouble, but he maintained composure and attracted attention with several of his deep passes.
Hector Fort (7/10)
Hector Fort is a unique glimpse at the newest La Masia superstar. He won his battles and exuded composure while in control. Another promising young Blaugrana has come to light.
Fermin Lopez (7.5/10)
Fermin Lopez was unfailingly energetic in the middle and did a fantastic job taking his header. He has already scored in back-to-back games, which is advantageous for Barcelona, who struggle to find a goal from the midfield.
Ilkay Gundogan (8.5/10)
Ilkay Gundogan supplied the midfield push that resulted in Barca’s first goal. He kept things moving and consistently appeared to make the correct pass.
Sergi Roberto (7/10)
Sergi Roberto less than a week after making a strong Champions League cameo, was somewhat bullied in the middle of the park in the first half. He ate up minutes, but in the long run, this player isn’t the best fit.
Raphinha (7.5/10)
Raphinha was excellent again as he set up Lewandowski’s goal, and he was a real handful all night. One hour in, he seemed to have taken a knock and was therefore substituted.
Robert Lewandowski (9/10)
Robert Lewandowski is returning to his peak after another superb show against Atletico Madrid. His pass before Felix’s goal was excellent.
Joao Félix (7.5/10)
Joao Félix took his goal well and gave a modest celebration in front of his parent club’s supporters. He clattered once or twice in frustration. Not totally convincing yet but enough for three points.
Also Read: La Liga Most Assists: Players with the Most Assists after Gameweek 24
Atletico Madrid Player Rating
Jan Oblak (4/10)
Jan Oblak gave up three well-angled strikes, and it was clear how frustrated he was. João Félix’s shot in the first came following a deft cutback by Robert Lewandowski. With a deft touch and a sneaky finish into the bottom corner, the Polish poacher netted a goal of his own in the second half. The game was then sealed by a powerful header from Fermín Lopez.
Nahuel Molina (3/10)
Nahuel Molina had a quiet night offensively, sending the ball back to Barcelona rather than dumping it for a throw before João Félix’s opening goal in the 38th minute. Played the entire ninety minutes, but ended a disappointing evening by being sent off in stoppage time in the second half after taking down Vitor Roque when the young attacker was through one-on-one.
Axel Witsel (5/10)
Barcelona attempted to play a ball in the middle on the ground, and they were quick to put pressure on the attackers. Axel Witsel was caught in a bad position for the third goal scored by the visitors, which left Fermín vulnerable.
Stefano Savic (4/10)
Although Stefano Savic had a great start, he struggled towards the finish and received a yellow card. When Savić went all out on João Félix in the second half, the Cívitas Metropolitano felt like they had gotten their money’s worth.
Reinildo Mandava (5/10)
Reinildo Mandava provided defensive assistance to Samuel Lino and performed admirably when against Raphinha. won eight of his eleven ground fights without picking up a foul.
Samuel Lino (5/10)
Samuel Lino appeared energetic in the beginning, but by the halfway point, she had diminished and looked physically exhausted. After forty-five minutes, Diego Simeone removed him for tactical reasons.
Marcos Llorente (6/10)
Marcos Llorente showed an enthusiastic performance, possibly the only player from Atlético Madrid to put on a heroic show. He sailed barely past the bar with a volley in the second half after buzzing around for 57 minutes.
Rodrigo De Paul (6/10)
Rodrigo De Paul was liable for Barcelona’s second goal, which came from a clumsy back ball that Pablo Barrios mishandled and allowed Raphinha to set up Lewandowski. His first-half defensive effort was marred by far too many unexplainable ball turnovers.
Pablo Barrios (6/10)
The 20-year-old Pablo Barrios had a challenging evening despite appearing to be the most likely midfielder to choose the Barcelona lock in any case. Nine of his eleven air and ground battles were lost, and he committed three fouls in the match.
Rodrigo Riquelme (4.5/10)
Rodrigo Riquelme early in the second half had a chance to score, but it went wide on his first attempt. Riquelme put in a lot of effort to fill Griezmann’s shoes as the backup striker, but he found it difficult to handle the subtleties that the Frenchman does so expertly.
Álvaro Morata (5/10)
Álvaro Morata did not have a great night in front of the goal and has only one in 12 now. The former Real Madrid man’s poor day was summed up by his team’s poor show in the match.
Also Read: Real Madrid extends lead in La Liga standings despite a controversial draw against Valencia | GW 27
