Playing against bottom-placed Almeria at the Estadio del Mediterraneo on Thursday night, Barcelona were clear favourites to extend their lead over Girona to four points and lay claim on the second place in the league standings.
Fermin Lopez’s early goal gave the Catalans the perfect start against Pepe Mel’s side, but the energy soon fizzled out. Barcelona were dominant in possession, but their play was largely lethargic and uninspired.
Not much changed in the second half, but Fermin Lopez’s second goal of the night gifted the team a comfortable cushion. The team’s play even moderately livened up after Xavi’s substitutions after the hour mark.
Eventually, Barcelona held onto the two-goal cushion and took home all three points, moving to 79 points with two games to go.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from the team’s win over Almeria.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 8
The Barcelona goalkeeper was significantly busier than one would have fathomed as he was forced into three saves in the first half alone including two from inside the box. Did well to stand his ground and maintain a clean sheet on the night.
Jules Kounde: 7
An all-round showing from the make-shift right-back once more as he held his ground defensively and also made good contributions in the final third. Yamal’s dominance on the flank, however, allowed him to concentrate more on his role deep.
Pau Cubarsi: 7
A much improved performance from Cubarsi who was not at his best in the last game against Real Sociedad. Did not have a whole lot of defensive work to do and did make mistakes, yet, managed to hold the clean sheet.
Inigo Martinez: 7.5
Dominant in aerial duels and calm in defence, Martinez was the better of Barcelona’s two central defenders on the night. Had a key role to play in initiating the buildup for Barcelona’s first goal.
Hector Fort: 8
The youngster received a rare start at left-back against Almeria and did not allow the opportunity to slip from his hands. Did…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/almeria-0-2-barcelona-player-ratings/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-05-16 21:23:16
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