Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona Player Ratings – Ferran Torres the super sub as Barcelona win a five goal thriller

Barcelona have been on red hot form in Laliga, sitting on top of the table currently. Borussia Dortmund are yet to find their feet and have slipped down to sixth in the Bundesliga. Yet, both of the teams are currently on the same points and the same wins in the Champions League. With Dortmund try to keep their form going and have another dream UCL campaign and Barcelona on a mission to get back to the glory days, it was all set to be a fiesty clash. While Dortmund made some bold calls by including Reyna and Duranville, Barcelona went with the same starting XI they used vs Real Betis.

Barcelona were off to an electric start, with Yamal putting in some dangerous crosses to Raphinha but unfortunately, they could not convert them. Dortmund were also doing the same on the other end but the scorecard did not move. Both the teams continued to attack, creating deadly chances but surprisingly, the score was level at half-time.

The game continued to be an end to end attacking display from both sides but Barcelona finally made the breakthrough after Raphinha capitalised on the delicious ball put in by Olmo. But Dortmund pulled one back quickly after they won a penalty from a minor challenge in the box from Cubarsi. The game tilted again in Barca’s favor when the substitute Ferran Torres pulled one back when Kobel tried to parry a shot away. Dortmund equalised again, this time from an error made by Pena who misjudged the timing of his run to collect the ball. The game finally ended in Barcelona’s favour after Torres capitalised again on a misplaced pass of Gross, which resulted in a deadly counter-attack.

Barcelona hold on to claim all three points after a breathless contest in Dortmund. The hosts deserve enormous credit for battling back to level on two separate occasions, but Ferran Torres proved the difference after coming off the bench in the second half.

Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings vs Barcelona

Goalkeeper

Kobel: 6/10 – While he blocked some good attempts on target, he was really unlucky to concede the second goal.

Defenders

Ryerson: 7/10 – While he could not keep up with their wingers occasionally, his overall performance was decent as he blocked crosses and cut off attacks with well timed interceptions. He got subbed off early surprisingly.

Can: 6.5/10 – The captain put in a decent shift, intercepting passes to stop attacks. His presence of mind to take all the trash talk and then letting Guirassy take the penalty was clever.

Schlotterbeck: 6/10 – He was unfazed by the dribbly attackers. A steady defensive display and tried some ambitious long range passes that did not work out as expected. He got a chance to become a hero in the end, but failed to do so.

Bensebaini: 5.5/10 – He was ineffective on set pieces, average attacking display. His unnecessary booking limited him and also costed his team in the future as he will miss the next match.

Midfielders

Sabitzer: 6.5/10 – While he made some clever forward runs, contributing in the attack. but could not capitalise. He got an unnecessary yellow for dissent.

Nmecha: 5/10 – While he carried the ball forward well in some occasions, he could not stop Olmo which costed the team dearly and ended up with the ball in the back of the net. He then got booked by a yellow card, limiting his effectiveness.

Reyna: 6.5/10 – While he put some lovely crosses into the box, creating some good chances, ultimately his overall game was just average.

Forwards

Gittens: 6/10 – It was a disappointing night for Gittens as he could not beat Kounde on the attack, thereby limiting his impact on the game.

Duranville: 7/10 – A dazzling performance from the youngster, troubling Balde and opened up their defence comfortably multiple times.

Guirassy: 8/10 – He linked up well with other attackers but missed some big chances in first half. But he ultimately won the penalty, which he converted coolly . He then capitalised on the mistake of Pena, to score a brace.

Substitutes

Couto: 6/10

Gross: 6.5/10

Malen: 6/10

Manager

Sahin: 6/10 – He took some bold calls with Reyna and Duranville in the starting XI. His substitutions paid off fairly well as Gross troubled Barcelona a lot ever since coming on, but ultimately his lack of defensive organisation cost the team.

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Barcelona Player Ratings vs Borussia Dortmund

Goalkeeper

Pena: 6/10 – While he blocked some shots, especially making a huge save to stop a guaranteed goal, his misjudgement caused his team to concede an equaliser.

Defenders

Kounde: 7.5/10 – He was untroubled by Gittens. He contributed well in the attack, linking up well with Yamal.

Cubarsi: 5.5/10 – While he was untroubled by their attackers initially, he conceded a penalty for a fairly innocuous challenge, which pulled Dortmund back into the game.

Martinez: 6/10 – A standard defensive display, blocking crosses, intercepting plays and recycling possession.

Balde: 6/10 – A surprising performance from the full back, being unimpactful on the offense and average on defense.

Midfielders

Pedri: 7/10 – He moved the ball around smoothly as usual. Some of his passes created chances that the team failed to capitalise.

Casado: 7/10 – He attempted long-range shots in the first half. Overall, he was excellent in doing simple stuff effectively.

Olmo: 8/10 – A classy performance, created chances with his movement, won fouls and clever forward passes which ultimately created the opening goal.

Forwards

Yamal: 8.5/10 – A wonderful display from the young attacker, never looked like a 17-year-old kid on the block. He was a constant threat, put in some dangerous crosses, attempted shots and was a nuisance to the Dortmund defenders.

Lewandowski: 6.5/10 – He was a workhorse off the ball, causing problems to the opposition. While he had some ambitious hits, nothing came to fruition.

Raphinha: 7.5/10 – Despite missing key chances in the first half, he capitalized them finally after scoring with a tidy finish off a Olmo pass.

Substitutes

Ferran Torres: 9/10

Frenkie de Jong: 6/10

Fermin Lopez: 5.5/10

Pau Victor: NA

Eric Garcia: NA

Manager

Flick: 7.5/10 – He stuck to what was working for him before and made changes whenever needed. It was his substitutions at the right time which put Barcelona ahead and ultimately, won them the game.

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