Barcelona travelled to Los Carmenes to take on a struggling Granada side as they sought to keep pace with Real Madrid atop the La Liga standings.
The Catalans have not had it easy in their past three games, being held to a 2-2 draw against Mallorca and grinding out two 1-0 wins against Sevilla in La Liga and then Porto in the Champions League, rather fortuitously.
Not to mention, their injury woes have led to further setbacks. And tonight, their problems continued as they conceded two goals out of absolutely nowhere, but produced a fightback to earn a 2-2 draw against Granada.
Their struggles against the Andalusian side continue, as the Catalans have now failed to win against them in their last four encounters, although many will argue that their stoppage-time winner should have counted.
Tonight’s display was a rather puzzling one, as the Catalans dominated proceedings and were by no means poor, but were undone by their opponents’ clinicality as we head into another international break.
This can hopefully provide time for injured players to recuperate and the team to reset ahead of a crucial spell of games starting at the end of October.
Here are the Barcelona side’s individual performances from another frustrating result, rated.
Marc Andre ter Stegen: 5/10
It is hard to fault the German for either of Granada’s goals, but he will be particularly disappointed at himself for conceding the first despite the awkward bobble.
Joao Cancelo: 7/10
One of Barcelona’s more proactive players. Took some risks that could have been costly, but his confidence on the ball and willingness to venture forward are always helpful for the Catalans, as he had a 100% dribble success rate and ten passes into the final third.
Jules Kounde: 4/10
A frustrating night for the Frenchman, when he got completely outfoxed by Bryan Zaragoza for the second Granada goal, got even worse when he had to be subbed off due to a knock to his knee – raising even more injury concerns for Barcelona.
Andreas Christensen: 6.5/10
A solid performance for the Dane, as he circulated the ball well – completing 97% of his 120 passes – and grew into the game well after Granada’s shock goal in the first 17 seconds.
Alejandro Balde: 6.5/10
Energetic as always, Balde kept things moving down the left flank. And although his crossing left a little to be desired, his telling delivery for Sergi Roberto’s equaliser proved crucial.
Gavi: 6.5/10
His error in the opening seconds led to the hosts scoring the opener, but the youngster showed great character to dust himself off and push forward with the ball at his feet.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7/10
Reliable in possession and executed some good, line-breaking passes and kept things ticking in trademark Gundogan fashion.
Fermin Lopez: 6.5/10
Handed his first-ever start for Barcelona, Fermin showed some nifty footwork at times to get out of tight situations and tried to move the ball as quickly as possible. Plenty of room to improve, however.
Lamine Yamal: 7/10
A third start in nine days for the teenager will be one of the main talking points, which draws concerns of fatigue.
However, the teenager once again made history by scoring at the stroke of halftime to become the youngest goalscorer ever for the Blaugrana.
Ferran Torres: 5.5/10
Leading the line in place of an injured Robert Lewandowski, Ferran was unable to provide the spark that he has shown he can this season with some loose touches and passes.
His involvement in the offside goal will be a big talking point in coming days.
Joao Felix: 7/10
Perhaps Barcelona’s most dynamic presence on the ball. His movement was clever and so was his linkup play, not to forget his ability to draw defenders out and ride challenges. Also got the assist for Lamine Yamal’s goal despite being off-balance.
Very unlucky to have his winning goal ruled out, but the Portuguese forward can hold his head high regardless.
SUBSTITUTES
Ronald Araujo: 7/10
Coming on for the injured Kounde, Araujo marshalled the backline really well and even came close to scoring on an occasion.
Sergi Roberto: 7/10
Did not make many mistakes, and made a great move into the box and notched the all-important equaliser for Barcelona with four minutes of regulation time remaining.
Oriol Romeu: 6/10
Grappling with a dip in form after his great start to life at Barcelona, Romeu did well to solidify the midfield after coming on in what should be a confidence-boosting game for the Spaniard.
