Ousmane Dembele has made headlines in the past week for his unprofessional habits but grabs a few for the right reasons now having scored a late equaliser for Barcelona at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Diego Costa seemed to have snatched victory for Atletico Madrid when he headed home from Antoine Griezmann’s corner in the 77th minute.
However, there was more drama to come in a game that was starved of goal-mouth action as Dembele came on as a late substitute and latched on to Lionel Messi’s pass to score a 90th-minute equaliser and secure a 1-1 draw.
Here, we rate the performances of Atletico’s players.
STARTING XI
Jan Oblak – Didn’t have too much to do apart from a couple of punches but was well-beaten by the late equaliser. 5
Santiago Arias – A solid display and especially coped well with Luis Suarez when he peeled off to the left. 6
Stefan Savic – Formidable in the heart of the defence but was usually the screen behind Lucas Hernandez who was more proactive. 6
Lucas Hernandez – Played out of position but didn’t look out of place. Mature display from the 22-year-old apart from one clumsy challenge that earned him a booking. 6
Felipe Luis – Decent at the back but seemed rusty going forward, particularly disappointing with a couple of crosses. 5
Koke – Some exceptional defensive contributions in midfield. Donning the armband, he made a game-high seven tackles. 7
Rodrigo – A sturdy display from the midfielder who was responsible for much of Atletico’s resistance. 6
Saul Niguez – So talented on the ball but he barely saw any of it, making just 13 passes. Spent most of the time defending, making four clearances. 5
Thomas Lemar – A few nice touches but never really broke free. Doesn’t seem to suit Atletico’s style. 4
Diego Costa – Few touches and biggest involvements were during physical altercations with opponents. Couldn’t find the finish from Grizmann’s low cross but predictably scored Atletico’s goal. 7
Antoine Griezmann – Dropped deep to influence play and looked the most likely to create something. Pressed Barca’s defence well and created a glorious opportunity that Costa failed to convert before he set him up again for the opener from a corner. 8
SUBS
Vitolo – Offered a lot more down the left than Lemar did. 6
Angel Correa – Replaced Costa and operated as an outlet on the break. N/A
