In the Camp Nou stadium in Catalunya, Barcelona only had to prevent Juventus from scoring three goals to secure top spot in the Champions League group stage. And yet, even that apparently manageable task was too much for Ronald Koeman’s struggling side, as two Cristiano Ronaldo spot-kicks and a Weston Mckennie volley gifted Andrea Pirlo’s side a 3-0 victory, alongside the top spot of Group G. So here are our player ratings for the top European clash between Barcelona and Juventus.
Barcelona XI
Marc Andre Ter Stegen – 6.5
The Barcelona shot-stopper couldn’t do much to deny any of the Juventus goals. In the second half he made an incredible save on Ramsey’s shot – although it didn’t matter as the visitors were given a penalty kick immediately afterwards.
Sergiño Dest – 5.5
The young right-back was always present on the overlap, but he failed to deliver decent balls to the box.
Clement Lenglet – 5
A match to forget for the Frenchman who gifted the Bianconeri a second penalty for a clear handball and was lucky not to receive a second yellow card for that offense.
Ronaldo Araújo – 5.5
Another Barcelona defender who gave away a penalty for Juventus. However, the Uruguayan will count himself unfortunate, as his challenges on Ronaldo – although unwise – was a soft one.
Jordi Alba – 5.5
The usually reliable left-back clearly lost his battle against Cuadrado on the flank, and received a silly yellow card for arguing with the referee, before being taken off at half time.
Frankie De Jong – 6
The Dutch maestro remains one of the brightest lights in the current under-par Barca squad. Had a tough battle against Ramsey and was able to move the ball forward with his smart passing.
Miralem Pjanic – 5.5
The Bosnian tried to test his fomer captain Buffon with some shots from the edge of the box, but his shooting skills are apparently long-gone alongside his best days on the pitch.
Francisco Trincão – 5
The Portuguese youngster started on the right-wing, but was rarely seen throughout the first half, before being hauled off at half-time.
Pedri – 5.5
The Spanish teenager was one of the top performers during the first encounter between Juventus and Barcelona, but he failed to replicate his Allianz Stadium performance, and struggled against Cuadrado and Danilo.
Antoine Griezmann – 5.5
During the first half, The former Atletico Madrid star understandably struggled in the Number 9 role against the big Bianconeri defenders. His performance slightly improved during the second half after moving to his more natural position on the wings, but still mostly ineffective.
Lionel Messi – 6.5
The Argentine great didn’t seem to be in his best physical shape tonight, and yet he tried to single-handedly drag his team back to the match. However, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner was repeatedly denied by another legend, in the form of Gianluigi Buffon.
Barcelona Substitutes
Martin Braithwaite – 6
The Dane is far from being a top striker, but he’s the only natural center-forward in the squad, and his introduction made things easier for Messi and Griezmann.
Samuel Umtiti – 5
The world cup winner replaced his compatriot Lenglet who was on a yellow card, and he immediately received a booking himself.
Junior Firpo – 6
The Barcelona left-back was an improvement on Alba, but still couldn’t threat the Juventus defences.
Riqui Puig – 6
The young midfielder brought some much needed energy to a bland Blaugrana midfield.
Óscar Mingueza – N/A
7 – Barcelona’s Lionel Messi ?? has had seven shots on target against Juventus (11 in total), more than any other player in a Champions League game without scoring since at least 2003/04. Tireless. pic.twitter.com/QGaAbe0sz2
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 8, 2020
Juventus XI
Gianluigi Buffon – 7.5
The legendary goalkeeper made a rare Champions League start and managed to save around 7 shots from Messi with ease, mostly thanks to his brilliant positioning.
Matthijs De Ligt – 6.5
The Dutch star showed the Catalans what they missed when they failed to sign him. A solid defensive performance, however he should work better on his distribution from the back which caused his side some needless trouble.
Danilo – 7
The former Real Madrid man continues to enjoy a great season in his newly found deep position. Helped immensely in closing down the spaces on all-comers.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7
The captain will be disappointed for getting his goal disallowed by VAR, but he should be pleased with his defensively solid performance, as Barcelona had to rely on long-rage shooting when they couldn’t break inside the Juventus box.
Juan Cuadrado – 7.5
Fresh from his man of the match display from the derby della Mole, the Colombian created yet another brilliant assist for Mckennie on Juve’s second goal, and was a menacing presence for the opposition all night long.
Aaron Ramsey – 7
The former Arsenal man enjoyed one of his best displays during the current season. His fabulous work led to the visitors’ second goal, and almost scored one himself before being miraculously denied by Ter Stegen.
Weston Mckennie – 7.5
Just a complete performance from the young American. His give-and-go pass with Cuadrado on the second Juventus goal allowed him to receive the ball deep into the Barcelona box and took his volley brilliantly leaving no chance for the keeper.
Arthur Melo – 6.5
The Brazilian had a decent performance against his former club. His work from deep allowed his fellow midfielders Ramsey and Mckennie to repeatedly surge forward.
Alex Sandro – 7
Slowly but surely, the Brazilian left-back is finding his best feet again after a long layoff. Dominated his flank offensively and defensively against the likes of Dest and Trincao.
Alvaro Morata – 6.5
A hard-working performance from the former Los Blancos striker. Created space for his teammates with his smart movements inside the opposition areas.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 7.5
The Portuguese superstar won the day against his arch-rival Messi. Earned the first penalty with his incredible shrewdness, and scored twice from the spot. He looked fired-up throughout the encounter, and even helped his teammates in the defensive phase.
Juventus Substitutes
Adrien Rabiot – 6.5
Introduced to close down the spaces on Barcelona, and won the ball several times for Juventus.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
A little less lively introduction than Rabiot, but helped his side to navigate the match in the last 25 minutes.
Paulo Dybala – N/A
Federico Bernardeschi – N/A
Federico Chiesa – N/A
