Inter Milan vs Barcelona Player Ratings: 8/10 for MOTM Calhanoglu; Poor Lewandowski, Raphinha get 5

Inter Milan handed Barcelona’s hopes of progressing to the the Champions League knockout stage a blow by grabbing a 1-0 win at San Siro.

Inter Milan beat Barcelona 1-0 in a crucial UEFA Champions League victory courtesy of Hakan Calhanoglu’s fine low drive late in the first half. The result leaves Barcelona at risk of failing to advance from the group stage for the second successive season.

With Bayern Munich beating both Inter and Barcelona and sitting atop Group C after annihilating Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday night, this game, as well as the one between the two sides next Wednesday, was essential in determining who would join the German giants in the knockout rounds.

Despite the pre-game hype, the match was far from an entertaining affair. Calhanoglu sent a cautious long-range strike from 30 yards that needed a finger-tip save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen to push over the bar in the seventh minute. The Turkish playmaker then scored the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time.

Despite dominating all possession stats, Barcelona did not seriously trouble the Inter goal until the 61st minute. A clever Barcelona play saw the ball moving to Ousmane Dembele on the left side of the box, but his powerful effort rebounded against the near post. As Barcelona continued to press for an equaliser, Pedri rolled the ball into the open net after the ball fell kindly to him.

However, the resulting goal was chalked off after a VAR review showed that the ball struck Ansu Fati’s hand before reaching Pedri. Despite camping in Inter’s half in the final 20 minutes, Barcelona were unable to break down a stubborn Nerazzurri defence and endured their second Champions League defeat of the season.

As for the hosts, this was a crucial result and three precious points for the under-fire Simone Inzaghi. The Hard Tackle will now rate both sets of players.

Inter Milan

Andre Onana: 6/10

Onana did not have to work as much hard as he was expecting for his clean sheet thanks to the brilliant effort put in by the defenders in front of him. He made some routine saves but was guilty of a poor clearance in the lead-up to Pedri’s goal, although it was later ruled out for a handball.

Milan Skriniar: 7/10

The Slovak was simply a rock at the back for Inter. Skriniar wore the captain’s armband and led his team by example. He was tenacious and did not hesitate to put his body on the line for the team’s cause. He helped to neutralise Raphinha while also working with Stefan de Vrij to keep Lewandowski in control. Skriniar made a few crucial blocks as well.

Stefan De Vrij: 7/10

After coming under excessive criticism for his below-par performances of late, de Vrij was back to his best in this game with a significantly improved display. That said, he failed to head clear Barcelona’s disallowed goal.

He commanded the backline and won almost all of his duels against Robert Lewandowski. He was a force at the back and always first to every ball within his grasp, making a match-high number of defensive actions: 5 clearances, 4 tackles, and 3 interceptions.

Alessandro Bastoni: 7/10

Bastoni withstood the pressure late on very well. He was another standout performer for the hosts, as he shut down Dembele’s path every time the Frenchman tried to burst into the box. He made 4 clearances, 2 tackles, and played 5 accurate long balls.

Matteo Darmian: 7/10

Darmian replaced Denzel Dumfries in the starting XI, and the former Manchester United defender more than justified Inzaghi’s call by putting in a real defensive shift. Dembele put him to the test a couple of times, but he never let his guard down. Skriniar relied on him to cope with Raphinha and Alonso, but if there was one criticism of his performance, it was that he rarely darted forward to give his side a breather.

Nicolo Barella: 7/10

A solid, if not spectacular, outing from Barella, who held his own in his midfield battle with Pedri. The UEFA Euro 2020 winner did not only help out his defence with his aggressive press and tactical fouls. But he also relieved the pressure off his Inter teammates by constantly sprinting forward with the ball, more often than not attracting a foul.

Hakan Calhanoglu: 8/10

There was little quality on display given the calibre of the clubs on show. But Calhanoglu delivered a magnificent midfield performance and provided the quality when it was required.

Operating in the Regista role in the absence of Marcelo Brozovic, he worked his socks off in the middle of the park for his team. Calhanoglu made the second-highest number of tackles of all players on the pitch (3), passed with accuracy, played a few inch-perfect long balls for his teammates, and took Inter’s two shots on target on the night.

The first was a fizzer from almost 30 yards out that ter Stegen tipped over the bar before breaking the deadlock in typical fashion with a perfectly-placed shot inside the post towards ter Stegen’s right, giving the keeper no chance. Man of the Match.

Federico Dimarco: 7/10

Another outstanding performance from the left wing-back, who has quietly gone about his business and has made the position his own with previous excellent outings. Dimarco was largely solid throughout, constantly forayed forward with purpose, and he delivered a lovely assist for Calhanoglu’s goal.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6/10

It was not his finest performance, but the Armenian did not shy away from doing the dirty work in midfield and was tenacious and disciplined. The former AS Roma playmaker did not produce many plays but was not really given the opportunity with Inter seeing so little of the ball versus Barcelona. Mkhitaryan showed excellent effort and intensity in chasing and harassing Barcelona possession.

Lautaro Martinez: 6/10

A gutsy display from Lautaro Martinez, who constantly looked to be a threat. The Argentine international did well in retreating as far back as necessary to provide another obstacle in Barcelona’s path. His selflessness is demonstrated by his hard work and effort, and he continues to impress with the expansion of his overall attributes.

Joaquin Correa: 6/10

Correa showcased some nice touches and sequences of play, but he battled to completely impose himself. The former Lazio attacker thought he had opened the scoring with a well-taken finish after being put through on opposition goal, but his goal was disallowed for offside. He combined well with his teammates but did not see a whole lot of ball.

SUBSTITUTES

Edin Dzeko: 6/10

Dzeko did not have any nailed-on chances in front of goal, but he was eager to put in the effort for the team and tried to hold up the ball higher up the pitch to release pressure from the backline. He tracked back to help out his teammates, and, all in all, managed to make a significant impact.

Robin Gosens: 6/10

The German international came on in the second half to replace Darmian, but he lacked the Italian’s offensive threat. He maintained the shape well, though, to help Inter see out the late onslaught from Barcelona.

Francesco Acerbi: 6/10

The former Lazio defender came on to replace de Vrij and played his part in keeping Lewandowski & co. at bay till the final whistle blew.

Denzel Dumfries: 5/10

The Dutchman provided some much-needed legs and athleticism late in the game to get his side over the line. He seemed to have handled the ball within his own penalty box and was fortunate to avoid VAR’s punishment.

Kristjan Asllani: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Barcelona

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 5/10

The German goalkeeper denied Calhanoglu’s first long-range effort with a decent fingertip save to tip it over the bar. But ter Stegen could not stop the Turk’s precise winner the second time around. Otherwise, he was never challenged by a defending Inter side and sprayed the ball well with 91% accuracy, including eight long balls.

Sergi Roberto: 6/10

It was an energetic display from the versatile Spaniard, who ran up and down the right channel throughout the whole game but was never able to provide exquisite crosses to the attackers. When Marcos Alonso surged forward, he regularly slid in as the third central defender. Similarly, he inverted into midfield nicely whenever Gavi moved into the final third.

Andreas Christensen: 6/10

The former Chelsea man was having a good game until his evening was cut short early in the second half by what seemed to be an ankle injury.

Eric Garcia: 7/10

Garcia was lucky not to give away a spot kick to Inter with what appeared to be a deliberate handball, as he was let off the hook by a marginal offside call. Otherwise, he put in a solid performance, was flawless in possession, and was attentive whenever called into action by Inter attackers. In total, he won three of his five attempted duels, made three clearances, three tackles, and one interception. Encouraging.

Marcos Alonso: 5/10

The former Chelsea defender often ventured forward on the left flank to help his team’s attacking play and put himself in some promising positions to cause damage. But Alonso’s crosses lacked any precision or swerve and were often intercepted.

Gavi: 5.5/10

Gavi has had better displays than this one, as he lacked decision-making, especially in the first half. It was far from poor performance as he was energetic as ever and was involved in the match, winning five of his seven duels and making two tackles. But he was not as effective as usual. Booked for dissent.

Sergio Busquets: 6/10

It was yet another vintage performance from the Barcelona captain, who always seems to be in the right place at the right time to cut out any possible danger, barring Calhanoglu’s goal. But he nearly got there to block it too. Busquets kept the ball ticking from the base of midfield and launched multiple attacks for his team.

Pedri: 7/10

Despite being on the wrong side of the result, the young Spaniard was perhaps the best player on the pitch for Barcelona. He looked bright from the outset, and his every touch oozes class and expertise. Pedri played deeper than normal and helped out his defence but still managed to create a ton of danger for the opposition backline.

Neat and tidy in possession, he completed 88 passes with 92% accuracy, including a whopping 13 long balls. He momentarily scored an equaliser before it was ruled out due to a handball which looked very harsh.

Ousmane Dembele: 6/10

The Frenchman tried to make things happen upfront and went on some exciting, thrilling runs. But Dembele failed to make a telling impact with the ball in the final third. He was very wasteful, giving away the ball in dangerous areas, leading to three of Inter’s attacks in transitions.

He missed what was the golden chance of the game for Barcelona, hitting the post in the second half. Still, he turned out to be a potent threat to the host. It was his cross that led to Pedri’s disallowed goal. And Dembele also produced three key passes, five accurate crosses, and three accurate long balls.

Robert Lewandowski: 5/10

The Pole was starved of service by an excellent Inter defence who marshalled him out of the game. He kept moving into wider areas to facilitate attacks but did not find much success. Had a couple of openings in the first half but could not put enough power into his shots. He won just two of his eight duels and was always surrounded by defenders.

Raphinha: 5/10

Playing on the left, Raphinha linked up well with Alonso but was largely anonymous during his time on the pitch. However, after switching to his favoured right-wing position, he fashioned a chance out of thin air.

SUBSTITUTES

Gerard Pique: 6.5/10

The veteran took over from the injured Christensen early in the second half and slotted in well. While he was not really troubled, he did make a timely headed clearance to keep the cross from reaching Dzeko.

Ansu Fati: 5/10

The youngster showed flashes of his talent. But despite being an apparent definite upgrade over Raphinha, he was not able to influence things. And his handball overruled Pedri’s equalider, although it was a very harsh decision.

Alejandro Balde: 6/10

Balde came on in the second half to replace Alonso but did not produce anything of note.

Franck Kessie: N/A

Did not play enough to warrant a rating.