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Barcelona were hoping to put in a better performance today than they did at the weekend against Real Sociedad as they took on Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
While Xavi’s men managed to control the game better, they were still lacklustre going forward, with little to no creativity to show for in the first 45 minutes.
Shakhtar had all the better chances, and were eventually rewarded for their efforts with a brilliantly worked goal, courtesy of Danylo Siken, five minutes before half-time.
With an uphill task awaiting them in the second half, Barcelona were slightly better and more motivated, but lacked that final pass in Shakhtar’s half.
Eventually, Barcelona’s dreams of early progression from the group were punctured as the Ukranian outfit took home all three points from the affair.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6.5
Did well to distribute the ball, and made a few decent saves. Not much to write home about.
Joao Cancelo: 7.5
A much better performance from Joao Cancelo today after the weekend. He drifted in to join the midfield and circulated the ball brilliantly. Kickstarted attacks and defended brilliantly, especially in 1v1 situations.
Ronald Araujo: 6
Was a monster for the first 40 minutes, dealing with attacks single-handedly and clearing away danger. Was caught slightly out of position for Shakhtar’s goal, though, and then picked up a silly yellow card soon after.
Andreas Christensen: 5
Christensen’s inclusion in the starting lineup definitely improved Barcelona’s build-up from the back. However, he did a horrible job marking Sikan for the goal, which is unforgivable.
Marcos Alonso: 5
Once again, Alonso’s inclusion in the XI added nothing going forward for Barcelona. Was inside his own box during the goal for some reason, leaving Torres 1v1 with Gocholeishvlli, who whipped in the perfect cross.
Gavi: 6
One of the poorer perfomances from Gavi, who could not create much against Shakhtar’s excellent mid-block.
Oriol…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/shakhtar-donetsk-1-0-barcelona-player-ratings/
Author : Udhav Arora
Publish date : 2023-11-07 19:41:19
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