Barcelona picked up a very important victory over Girona on Saturday, striking late to seal a 2-1 success in Montjuic. Here’s how their players fared at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Player ratings
Wojciech Szczesny – 6.5
Could do little about Girona’s goal, and made a couple of very important saves .
Jules Kounde – 4.5
A very difficult afternoon for the Frenchman, who seemed like he could not do anything right at times.
Pau Cubarsi – 6
Good in build-up, but was caught in behind so many times.
Eric Garcia – 6.5
Slightly better, although there will be concerns about how easy it is for opponents to get in behind.
Alejandro Balde – 6.5
Promising display on his return to the line-up.
Marc Casado – 6
Struggled, but largely not his fault. At times, he had to cover large spaces on his own.
Frenkie de Jong – 6.5
Played in a more advanced position, and it did not suit him. However, he did get the assist for the winning goal.
Pedri – 8
Standard Pedri performance, scored a wonderful goal before being afforded a rest in the final half hour.
Lamine Yamal – 7
Got an assist on his return from injury, but he did not have as much success as he would have liked.
Marcus Rashford – 6.5
Dangerous performance, albeit without anything to show for it. He came so close with a free-kick in the first half, and also missed a golden chance in the second.
Toni Fernandez – 6
He was always showing for the ball, but was often not found. Taken off at half time.
Substitutes
Fermin Lopez – 7
He was excellent in the second half, and was unlucky not to register at least one goal contribution.
Andreas Christensen – 6.5
Barcelona were more solid when he was on the pitch.
Roony Bardghji – 6.5
Very lively, and should have had an assist, but for a big miss from Rashford.
Gerard Martin – 6
Provided a good option during his cameo.
Ronald Araujo – 7
The hero for Barcelona. Thrown on as a striker, and he delivered with a finish that Robert Lewandowski would have been proud of.
