Barcelona player ratings as Lionel Messi shines with an 8 but perfect record ends

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  • Barcelona‘s perfect record in La Liga this season came to an end as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Girona on Sunday night.

    Lionel Messi opened the scoring at Camp Nou but the hosts were reduced to 10 men when Clement Lenglet was given his marching orders 10 minutes before the break.

    Cristhian Stuani scored a brace to put the visitors ahead, a delicate finish on the stroke of half-time followed by a thunderbolt six minutes into the second period.

    Gerard Pique however, headed home an equaliser for the home team in the 63rd minute.

    Here, we rate Barcelona’s players.

    STARTING XI

    Marc-Andre ter Stegen – Was left exposed by his defence for both goals. Made a couples of decent saves. 5

    Nelson Semedo – Did not get forward enough, failing to attempt a single cross. Picked up a booking. 3

    Gerard Pique – A real Jekyll and Hyde performance. Cleared off the line and got the equaliser for Barca. Made mistakes for both Girona goals though. 5

    Clement Lenglet – A first start at the Camp Nou went horribly wrong when he was sent off for an elbow in Pere Pons’ face. 2

    Jordi Alba – Some good forays into the final third and was involved in some good play but the final ball was lacking. 5

    Sergio Busquets – Had to fill in at centre-back for a period after Lenglet’s sending off and misjudged the cross for Stuani’s first. Looked better when he moved back into midfield. 5

    Arturo Vidal – Impressed on his full debut, showing real perseverance in the box before finding Messi with an excellent square pass for the finish. Strong in midfield as well. 6

    Arthur – Tested the keeper on a couple of occasions and was composed on the ball. 6

    Lionel Messi – Ran the show again. Waltzed past defenders for fun and consistently threatened the goal, hitting the bar from a free-kick as well. His side-footed finish for the opening goal oozed class. 8

    Luis Suarez – Looked back to his best and was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet. Some really sharp play, nutmegging defenders and playing in his team-mates. 7

    Ousmane Dembele – Hooked at half-time in favour of Samuel Umtiti although he did look threatening early on with a couple of dangerous passes. 5

    SUBS

    Samuel Umtiti – Most of his involvement was on the ball as Barca chased the game. 5

    Ivan Rakitic – Came on before the hour mark and helped Barca camp in the opposition’s half. 5

    Philippe Coutinho – Struggled to make an impact but went close to a winner with a shot from range. 5

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