Ousmane Dembele and Marc-Andre ter Stegen get 8s as Barcelona claim Spanish Super Cup

Andy West 02:29 13/08/2018
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  • Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved a late penalty from Wissam Ben Yedder to cap a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory in the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla.

    An early counter-attack saw Pablo Sarabia open the scoring for the Andalusians at Tangier, Morocco’s Stade Ibn Batouta. This lead was cancelled out just before half-time when centre-back Gerard Pique was quickest to react when a Lionel Messi free-kick hit the woodwork.

    Barca kept pressing and France winger Ousmane Dembele rocketed in the winner on 78 minutes. There was still time for Ter Stegen to deny Ben Yedder at the death from 12 yards, in this thrilling one-off encounter.

    Here are our player ratings:

    BARCELONA (4-3-3)

    Marc-Andre ter Stegen 8: Excellent low save from Sarabia to prevent Sevilla retaking the lead, and secured the trophy by keeping out Ben Yedder’s weak penalty.

    Nelson Semedo 7: A good attacking outlet down the right, regularly penetrating the area with overlapping runs. Also covered his tracks at the back.

    Gerard Pique 6: Levelled for Barca by latching onto a rebound to slot home. Authoritative in possession but not always completely secure defensively.

    Clement Lenglet 5: Missed a good headed chance from a free-kick and was vulnerable against the pace and trickery of Muriel.

    Jordi Alba 7: Poor header for the opening goal but always a strong attacking presence, especially running onto Messi’s diagonal passes.

    Rafinha 6: The hardest working of Barca’s midfield trio in the opening period, and showed energy going forward. Replaced at the break.

    Sergio Busquets 7: Silky smooth in possession but occasionally frazzled by Sevilla’s counter-attacks, getting booked for impeding one Muriel run.

    Arthur 6: Steady but unspectacular in midfield on his competitive debut, keeping things simple with his passing. Replaced by Coutinho.

    Lionel Messi 7: Hit the post with a free-kick leading to the leveller, had a couple of efforts saved and played some delightful passes.

    Luis Suarez 4: Worked hard but was well off the pace, dragging a shot wide and producing some heavy touches. Must get better.

    Ousmane Dembele 8: Offered plenty of attacking spark, showing a growing understanding with Messi and thrashing home a brilliant strike for the winner.

    SUBS

    Ivan Rakitic 7: Made his first appearance since the World Cup Final as a half-time replacement for Rafinha. As reliable as ever.

    Philippe Coutinho 7: Came into the midfield trio as he replaced Arthur, and always looked to create around the edge of the box.

    Arturo Vidal N/A: Entered the fray in place of Dembele for the latter stages, shoring up the midfield as Barca played out time.

    SEVILLA (3-4-2-1)

    Tomas Vaclik 7: Competitive debut for the Czech keeper and he did well, including a stunning double save to deny Suarez and Messi.

    Gabriel Mercado 6: Had his hands full with the pace of Dembele but stuck to his task and made a good block to deny a goalbound shot from Messi.

    Simon Kjaer 6: Generally marshalled the defence well but also had some panicky moments inside the box, not exactly showing composure under pressure.

    Sergi Gomez 7: Strong in the air in Sevilla’s back three and had the better of his personal duel with Suarez.

    Jesus Navas 6: Had a good battle with Alba, whose presence hindered his usual attacking intentions. Sent a snapshot too close to ter Stegen.

    Ever Banega 7: Oozed class in midfield, springing several dangerous attacks with his accurate and inventive passing. Sevilla’s key man in possession.

    Roque Mesa 6: Intelligent presence in the centre of the pitch, switching play well with accurate long balls to the flanks.

    Sergio Escudero 7: Disciplined and hard-working in the left wingback role, covering Semedo’s runs well and getting forward when he could.

    Pablo Sarabia 7: Bagged the opener with a well-taken strike and nearly added another just before the break. Underrated player and shone again.

    Luis Muriel 7: Did well to créate the opener and was always a threat going forward, especially when he ran at the defence with speed.

    Franco Vazquez 6: Worked hard down the left, showing some good touches. Grazed the bar with a header and fired a low shot just wide.

    SUBS

    Andre Silva 5: Portuguese striker made his Sevilla debut by replacing Muriel just 24 hours after joining from AC Milan. Kept quiet.

    Aleix Vidal 6: Came on for the final 20 minutes to face his former club and won the penalty which could have forced extra time.

    Wissam Ben Yedder 4: The last throw of the dice from Pablo Machin, but ruined his team’s chances of extra time with a terrible penalty.

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