Lamine Yamal played hero once again for Barcelona, scoring once and proving a menace all evening, leading the Blaugrana to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Sociedad.
Raphinha came close for Barca in the first half, pinging a shot off the post from outside the box. Yamal made no such mistake soon after, slotting a shot into the bottom corner after a well-worked Blaugrana counter-attack.
La Real enjoyed a flurry of chances after the break. Brais Mendez fired wide. Sheraldo Becker had a shot acrobatically blocked by Pau Cubarsi – who enjoyed an excellent showing after a shaky run.
But they could never find an equaliser, and were made to pay. Barca struggled to create after the break – not least due to a sloppy performance from Robert Lewandowski. Still, the hosts were awarded a late penalty following a lengthy VAR check, which Raphinha dutifully tucked away to seal a deserved 2-0 win.
GOAL rates Barcelona’s players from the Olympic Stadium..
Goalkeeper & Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (6/10):
Made a couple of important saves – but some of his distribution was shaky.
Jules Kounde (7/10):
Kept his man quiet, covered spaces well, and broke out a lovely roulette. A classy showing.
Pau Cubarsi (7/10):
A return to form. Provided one important block, and passed as effectively as usual.
Inigo Martinez (6/10):
Preferred to Ronald Araujo, to the tune of a shaky performance. Gave the ball away a couple of times.
Joao Cancelo (5/10):
Broke out the usual array of nice flicks and impressive tricks, but didn’t create a single chance
Midfield
Andreas Christensen (6/10):
Steady at the base of midfield. Won a few tackles and moved the ball well – if not particularly efficiently.
Pedri (8/10):
Handed his first start since April 21 and made a real impact in central midfield. Completed 96% of his passes, created three chances. A reminder of how good he can be.
Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):
Assisted Yamal’s goal, and constantly looked for the forward pass. He’s been excellent in recent weeks.
Attack
Lamine Yamal (8/10):
Completed four dribbles, found some neat passes, and took his goal wonderfully. A match-winning performance.
Robert Lewandowski (5/10):
Poor. 29 touches and just four in the opposition box.
Raphinha (7/10):
Always active on his less-preferred left wing. Unlucky not to find the net after smashing one off the post in the first half.
Subs & Manager
Fermin Lopez (6/10):
Offered energy in central midfield, but not much quality.
Sergi Roberto (5/10):
Not involved much in a strange 20 minutes.
Ferran Torres (N/A):
Should have scored right after being introduced – but saw his effort saved.
Xavi (7/10):
Went with something resembling his strongest XI, and handed Pedri a start. Barca were impressive for long stretches, and although they failed to control the game entirely, were good value for the win.
