The two goalkeepers stood out as Barcelona played out a goalless draw with Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Saturday.
The first half was a largely sordid affair, with chances not flowing regularly on either end. Atletico Madrid, though, grew into the proceedings with every passing minute were the better of the two sides, with Marcos Llorente, Luis Suarez and Felipe coming close. The opening 45 minutes ended just as the match had started, with the score reading 0-0.
Post the interval, Barcelona were much-improved, but the breakthrough was not forthcoming at all, as Atletico Madrid held firm at the back. In the end, the game ended in a goalless draw, which now hands Real Madrid the initiative in the La Liga title race. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both the sets of players.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 8/10
? | FOCUS
It was a great day for goalkeepers at Camp Nou today, with Marc-André ter Stegen impressing as well:
? 39 touches
? 6 saves
? 5 saves from inside the box
✈️ 1 high claim
? 1 punch
? 20/24 acc. passes
? 1 clean sheet
? 8.3 SofaScore rating#BarcaAtleti pic.twitter.com/4QyPjtDEVi— SofaScore (@SofaScoreINT) May 8, 2021
A colossal performance by ter Stegen, who made brilliant saves to keep out the efforts from Marcos Llorente and Luis Suarez in the first half. Not called into action a whole lot post the interval, but his six saves earned him a well-deserved clean sheet.
Oscar Mingueza: 5/10
Troubled by Yannick Carrasco a great deal all through the game, Mingueza was overrun by the Atletico Madrid midfielder with ease at times. Rightly taken off at half-time, after being put under severe pressure.
Gerard Pique: 7/10
Pique had his fair share of troubles against an energetic Suarez, but produced a solid block in the first half to keep the score at 0-0. Won 7 duels while making 5 clearances in what ended up being a solid performance at the back for the veteran Barcelona defender.
Clement Lenglet: 7/10
The best of the three Barcelona centre-backs, Lenglet produced a stunning block to deny Angel Correa in the first half. Ensured Barcelona built up play efficiently as well, completing all but two of his attempted passes while also winning three duels.
Sergino Dest: 5/10
Not the best of displays by Dest, who struggled to make an impact on the proceedings despite seeing a fair bit of the ball. Another missed opportunity for the young defender, who is not taking advantage of Sergi Roberto’s slip-ups.
Frenkie de Jong: 6/10
A game of hits and misses for de Jong, who settled into the holding midfield role following the substitution of Sergio Busquets. Did direct play in solid fashion and hardly misplaced a pass, but the Dutchman could not set a quick tempo to the game.
Sergio Busquets: 6/10
Barcelona affected by Busquets exit pic.twitter.com/LVNTj0Weop
— Marshall ?? (@TheMessiguyy) May 8, 2021
A difficult evening for Busquets, who had to be taken off around the half-hour mark after picking up a knock. His substitution had an instant impact on Barcelona, who started to get overrun in midfield by Atletico Madrid.
Pedri: 5/10
Another difficult outing for Pedri, who is not ending the season on a strong note, as the minutes continue to pile up and show their effects. Found wanting defensively, but did not misplace too many passes. Needs to be doing more.
Jordi Alba: 6.5/10
A rare underwhelming display by Alba, who, despite seeing a lot of the ball, could not manage to influence the proceedings nearly as much as he would have liked. Grew into the game post the half-time break and played a game-high 4 key passes, including a late chance that should have been converted by Ousmane Dembele.
Lionel Messi: 7/10
The Player to Watch in our preview, Messi was a bit off the boil for much of the first half but went on a sublime run, evading several Atletico Madrid defenders ahead of half-time, only to be denied by Jan Oblak. Nevertheless, the Barcelona captain was the biggest source of chances for the hosts, but his openings were not met with the correct finishes.
Messi & Oblak
The definition of world class™️pic.twitter.com/BBQMfAi2w8
— Goal (@goal) May 8, 2021
Antoine Griezmann: 5/10
One of the in-form players for Barcelona lately, Griezmann endured a difficult outing on Saturday, with Stefan Savic marshaling him well. In the end, it was a game to forget for the former Atletico Madrid star, who only mustered up a couple of shots on goal.
SUBSTITUTES
Ilaix Moriba: 5/10
On for Busquets, Ilaix Moriba was introduced at a time when Atletico Madrid were in the ascendancy and did not get to see a lot of action. Did manage a couple of shots on goal, but could not find the back of the net. Not penetrative enough with his passes and lacked ideas.
Ronald Araujo: 6/10
Introduced at half-time in place of Mingueza, Araujo had a chance coming his way early on, although Lenglet might have been better placed to convert Messi’s free-kick. Much better equipped to deal with the rampaging Carrasco, although he had some problems against the Belgian as well.
Sergi Roberto: N/A
On for Dest, Roberto was not made to sweat defensively but he did complete each of the passes he attempted to keep the pressure on Atletico Madrid late on.
Ousmane Dembele: N/A
On for Pedri, Dembele hardly saw the ball after being introduced, but did have one fine chance to win the game for Barcelona, only to head over the bar from close range.
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak: 8/10
There was not much that Oblak had to do in the first half, with the Atletico Madrid defence keeping a firm check on Messi and Griezmann, although he did deny Messi with a fine save ahead of half-time. Made to work hard to earn a clean sheet post the interval, which he did duly.
Jan Oblak played his 300th game in an Atleti shirt in all competitions against Barca.
? 159 clean sheets (53%). pic.twitter.com/AyIdXkq1Js
— The PaP Podcast (@ThePaPPod) May 8, 2021
Stefan Savic: 7/10
A solid performance by Savic, who kept a lid on Griezmann superbly, making 3 clearances while also completing a couple of interceptions. Some wasteful moments with the ball at his feet, though.
Felipe: 7/10
Back in the starting lineup in place of Jose Maria Gimenez, Felipe held the fort strongly at the back for Atletico Madrid, not giving the Barcelona attackers an inch. Started to get overpowered towards the latter stages of the game, though.
Mario Hermoso: 6/10
There were a few nervy moments for Hermoso against Messi but the Spanish international held his own for the most part. Managed to win just 4 of the 10 duels he contested, with the game becoming increasingly difficult late on.
Kieran Trippier: 6/10
One of those who produced a hit-and-miss performance on Saturday, Trippier was solid in the defensive phases and kept a lid on Jordi Alba’s output. However, he did not really pose a great deal of threat going down the right flank, with most of the chances flowing from the left wing.
Marcos Llorente: 6/10
A hard-working display by Llorente, who put in the hard yards off the ball while also being available higher up the pitch. One of those denied by the inspired ter Stegen in the Barcelona goal. Some sloppy moments on the ball as the game wore on.
Koke: 7/10
A solid display by Koke, who ensured Pedri and de Jong did not overpower the Atletico Madrid midfield. Completed 92 percent of his attempted passes as well, while opening up play smartly with some long balls. Won 6 duels as well.
Thomas Lemar: N/A
2014: Diego Costa forced off injured at Camp Nou after 17 minutes.
2021: Thomas Lemar forced off injured at Camp Nou after 13 minutes.#LLL
???⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vO8CI0DpWa— La Liga Lowdown ???⚽️ (@LaLigaLowdown) May 8, 2021
A frustrating evening for Lemar, whose game started just 12 minutes after pulling his hamstring.
Yannick Carrasco: 7/10
A bundle of energy, Carrasco embarked on some brilliant runs and had the Barcelona defence back-pedaling on a number of occasions. End product might not have been on point all the time, but he did do enough to have Atletico Madrid score at least once.
Angel Correa: 5/10
One of the form players for Atletico Madrid in recent times, Correa started the game strongly and even had an effort blocked by Lenglet. Did not get any chances going his way after the early stages and he was pretty much a peripheral figure before being taken off.
Luis Suarez: 6/10
A purposeful display by Suarez, who seemed to be intent on scoring against his former club. The ex-Barcelona striker did come close with a few efforts, but was denied brilliantly by ter Stegen. Largely quiet in the second half, when Barcelona conjured up the better chances.
SUBSTITUTES
Saul Niguez: 5/10
Sent on in place of Lemar early on, Saul, who has been linked with Barcelona lately, enabled Atletico Madrid to keep Barcelona in check. However, he was taken off midway through the second half, as Diego Simeone sought more attacking verve from his side.
Joao Felix: 5/10
On for Saul, Felix failed to provide the attacking spark that was needed to earn Atletico Madrid all three points, with Barcelona holding firm at the back.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 6/10
On for Correa, Kondogbia added a lot of steel in midfield for Atletico Madrid, but had a few nervy moments as well, most notably against Messi. Did enough to keep Barcelona from scoring, though.
