In a critical battle for second-place in Group C, Barcelona and Inter fought their way to a dramatic 3-3 draw. The matchup saw several offensive players, including Robert Lewandowski and Lautaro Martinez, turn in outstanding performances. For both clubs, the defensive side of the ball left a lot to be desired, with three goals coming after the 80th minute in what was a chaotic finish.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 7.5
In the midst of a frenzied final ten minutes, ter Stegen somehow salvaged the draw for Barca, making an incredible one-on-one save with his right foot against Kristjan Asllani.
Sergi Roberto – 7
Roberto played a rather advanced role, overloading the right-wing with Rapinha. At times, his positioning shaped Barca’s defense into a three-defender formation, which gave Inter significant tactical problems in the first half.
Gerard Pique – 5
Pique made a few errors and should have marked Barella better on Inter’s first goal, but it was not a completely dreadful showing from the centre-back.
Eric Garcia – 5
Garcia had a phenomenal first half, reading the ball well and defending with vigor. However, he completely fell apart in the second half, being partially responsible for Inter’s first goal and fully to blame for the second.
Marcos Alonso – 6.5
The defender had a decent but quiet match, and he was ultimately removed in favor of the more attacking-minded Franck Kessie.
Gavi – 7
Gavi played a standard box-to-box role, finding ample time on the ball while working well with Pedri. He made one particularly impressive defensive play, sprinting back to block a point-blank Dzeko shot that seemed destined for the goal.
Sergio Busquets – 7
The midfielder made several key defensive stops while helping his side retain possession, but he was taken off in the second half as Barca pushed for an equalizer.
Pedri – 8
Perhaps the most dynamic player on the pitch, Pedri was in scintillating form. With Marcelo Brozovic missing, he was able to cut through Inter’s defensive midfield with ease, creating numerous chances for the hosts.
Ousmane Dembele – 7
In the first half, the Frenchman made a brilliant run with a clean conversion to put his side in front. Throughout the match, he created several chances, though he missed a crucial opportunity when he took a poor shot instead of passing to Ansu Fati for the easy tap-in late in the match.
Robert Lewandowski – 8
After a poor first 75 minutes, Lewandowski singlehandedly salvaged the match for Barca, scoring two equalizers in the last 15 minutes. His second goal, a close-range header, was an incredible feat that kept Barcelona’s Champions League hopes alive.
Raphina – 7
Rapinha’s distribution in the final third was inconsistent, but he made a brilliant play to create Barca’s first half goal. From the goal line, he poked a ball through to Roberto, who promptly found Dembele in the box, putting the hosts up 1-0.
Substitutes
Ansu Fati – 5.5
Fati put himself into good tactical positions, but he was unable to do much with the ball.
Frenkie de Jong – N/A
Franck Kessie – N/A
Alejandro Balde – N/A
Ferran Torres – N/A
This game was absolutely mental…Inter SO close to sending Barcelona out of the Champions League.
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) October 12, 2022
Inter currently sit 2nd in the group, 3 points ahead of Barca ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/ERCrLg7q3l
Inter
Andre Onana – 6
Inter’s new goalkeeper made a few solid saves, but he also coughed up the ball more than once, failing to control his rebounds.
Milan Skriniar – 7
Skriniar essentially man-marked Lewandowski for the full 90 minutes, and, for the most part, he did his job well. He stayed very central, playing physically against the forward while giving him little time and space to shoot or distribute.
Alessandro Bastoni – 5.5
Bastoni picked up a late assist on Inter’s third goal, but his second-half defensive performance was not particularly inspiring.
Stefan de Vrij – 5
At times, de Vrij looked unsteady at centre-back and played inconsistently, despite his dominance in the air.
Denzel Dumfries – 7
The wing-back played very well on defense, seeing much more time in the defensive third than usual. However, he struggled to create in his usual fashion when attacking and often had to play back-passes to keep his side in possession.
Federico Dimarco – 6
Playing as the left wing-back, Dimarco struggled against Rapinha, often allowing him too much space. With Barcelona dominating possession, he was forced into playing a more reserved role, and his passing suffered as a result.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 7
Like many of his teammates, Calhanoglu’s form greatly improved in the second half. After an erratic first 45, he became much more active in the midfield, winning challenges and creating attacking chances.
Nicolo Barella – 8
For much of the match, Barella seemed to be Inter’s only attacking threat. He made several quality diagonal runs, presenting a viable option on counter attacks, and he finished an easy close-range goal at the start of the second half to equalize for his side.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5.5
Mkhitaryan tried and failed to replace Brozovic as Inter’s supporting midfielder. On the backline, he lost track of Sergio Roberto, allowing the defender an easy pass into the box for the first goal. The Armenian failed to add much to the Inter attack, though he did have a crucial goal-line clearance.
Edin Dzeko – 6
Dzeko had a decent night, with his best chance coming from a sliding shot that careened off the crossbar. He seemingly scored in the second half, but it was immediately called back by the assistant referee.
Lautaro Martinez – 8
After a quiet first half, Lautaro came alive in the second, scoring and assisting for Inter. On his goal, he took the ball off his chest and cheekily beat Garcia, hammering it off the post and into the net.
Substitutes
Robin Gosens – 7
Gosens netted a fine late goal as a substitute, but his side ultimately squandered the late advantage and left with just one point.
Matteo Darmian – N/A