Back-up strikers Carles Perez and Ansu Fati gave a second string Barcelona a 2-1 win over Inter Milan to render Romelu Lukaku’s strike irrelevant, dumping the Italian team out of the Champions League.
There were some strong performances from Barca’s youngsters as Ernesto Valverde rested virtually all his regular starters, while Inter let the occasion get the better of them and can have no complaints about their premature exit.
Check out how everyone fared with our player ratings.
INTER MILAN
Starting XI
Samir Handanovic 6. Got down well to Perez’s early strike and made a good low stop to deny Griezmann.
Diego Godin 5. Made a poor clearance to gift Perez the opener and was uncertain and unconvincing throughout.
Stefan de Vrij 6. Tried to exude a sense of authority in the heart of Inter’s defence, often striding forward with the ball.
Milan Skriniar 5. Struggled against the pace and directness of Perez, never really looking secure on the left of defence.
Danilo D’Ambrosio 7. Fired a good early chance and a header too high. Did well down the right before being replaced.
Matias Vecino 5. Regularly drove forward from midfield but appeared to lack ideas and conviction in the final third.
Marcelo Brozovic 5. In the defensive midfield role he struggled to make an impact, allowing Barca to play around him.
Borja Valero 6. Some uncertain early touches but became a more confident presence as the game went on.
Cristiano Biraghi 5. The left wingback fired a powerful shot too close to Neto but was largely quiet and taken off.
Romelu Lukaku 6. Linked play well and converted a low strike to equalise, but wasted another good trio of chances.
Lautaro Martinez 7. Stung Neto’s palms with a fierce drive, teed up Lukaku’s leveller and regularly threatened a winner.
Subs
Valentino Lazaro 5. Came on down the left flank for the last 25 minutes but looked overawed by the occasion.
Matteo Politano 6. Thrown on for the latter stages and tried to be positive down the right wing with little joy.
Sebastiano Esposito 6. The forward was a last throw of the dice from Antonio Conte and had a shot blocked.
BARCELONA
Starting XI
Neto 8. Made his competitive debut and produced solid saves from Biraghi and Martinez, and a great stop from Lukaku.
Jean-Clair Todibo 7. Made some good interventions on a rare first team chance, and was impressive on the ball.
Samuel Umtiti 5. Anchoring the three-man defence, he couldn’t block Lukaku’s leveller and was worryingly hesitant all night.
Clement Lenglet 6. Made a good block to deny Lukaku but blasted a glorious chance wide from a corner.
Moussa Wague 7. Bright on the ball and sharp in the tackle at right wingback. A confident and promising display.
Arturo Vidal 6. Caused occasional problems in the Inter box, including for Perez’s opener, but a peripheral presence.
Ivan Rakitic 7. Given the captain’s armband and classily occupied the pivot position, looking back to his best.
Carles Alena 6. Barca’s most creative passer, he knitted play together well in midfield but could have been more direct.
Junior Firpo 4. Looked uncertain and lacking in confidence on the left, offering little on the ball and defensively weak.
Carles Perez 7. Came close with an early low cross-shot before neatly dispatching the opener. Very sharp outing.
Antoine Griezmann 6. Led the line with good movement, providing the pass for the opener and coming close with a low strike.
Subs
Frenkie De Jong 7. Replaced Rakitic at the base of midfield and quickly settled into his stride, offering an oasis of calm.
Luis Suarez 6. Came on after an hour for Griezmann. Made little impact other than having one shot blocked.
Ansu Fati 7. Introduced in place of Perez for the dying stages and drilled home a fine winner within two minutes.
