A crucial Champions League encounter on Wednesday night at Borussia Park between a spirited Borussia Mönchengladbach side and heavyweights FC Barcelona ended with the Catalans’ first victory on German soil after failure to do so in their five previous encounters.
It was a tale of two halves as Thorgan Hazard’s goal summed up an excellent performance from the hosts in the first 45 minutes.
A gallant effort from the Gladbach was praiseworthy thanks to the enterprise they showed till the final whistle, but it was just not enough as Barcelona had too much firepower in their ranks and were able to up the ante in the second half, to the turn the game around and secure the win which puts them on top of Group C.
Here are the player ratings for the match:
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Yann Sommer: 6/10
It was his inability to steer the ball away from danger which led to the winner from Barcelona. Sommer is one of the safest pair of gloves in the Bundesliga but this error could prove to be costly for Gladbach as it might lead to their elimination from Europe.
He will need to dust it off and get ready for the crucial encounters against Celtic, as Europa League football might be the only chance they have left of participating in any European football competition.
Oscar Wendt: 6/10
An eternal presence on the left-hand side, he was quite effective in both his attacking and defensive roles. However, despite his energy, a little bit of precision could have proven to be fruitful since Barca’s equaliser started from his side of the defence. He also did not provide any cutting edge chances for the Gladbach attackers.
Nico Elvedi: 7/10
The 19-year-old Swiss defender had a night to remember as he was instrumental in keeping two of the most dangerous forwards in the world quiet for most parts of the game. The youngster will surely learn a lot from this game despite being on the losing team, and his performance was symbolic of the brave spirit his side had shown in the game.
Andres Christensen: 7/10
Christensen’s stock is rising by the game and it is easy to see why Gladbach are so desperate to make the Chelsea loanee a permanent signing.
Within a span of a season, Christensen has learned a lot on the pitch and has grown in stature. He has also acquired leadership skills, sharing an excellent communication with his fellow defensive partners which added to his defensive skills.
Julian Korb: 7/10
Another young warrior who can be proud of his performance last night, Korb showed great awareness to deny Paco Alcacer, in what looked like an almost certain goal in the first half. He was also instrumental in negating the threat of Neymar and Iniesta down Barca’s left-hand side with a series of vital interceptions throughout the match.
Mahmoud Dahoud: 7.5/10
The German midfielder was a bundle of energy running up and down the pitch, making interceptions, closing down the Barca midfield and not allowing them to find space to play their regular passing game.
Not many people can boast of intercepting the ball off Sergio Busquets, but Dahoud not only did that but also made an effective run and then passed it perfectly for Thorgan Hazard to tap in for Gladbach’s goal.
Another fantastic all around box to box performance from the young German.
Christoph Kramer: 6.5/10
It is easy to understand why Gladbach wanted him back after his loan spell ended last season. Kramer keeps the ball at his feet very well, and last night he ticked like a metronome, always keeping his team in the hunt even after they had gone down.
Ibrahima Traore: 6/10
Deployed in a slightly withdrawn role, Traore put in a fantastic thankless shift with the difficult task of stifling the Barca attacking channels and simultaneously releasing his forwards.
Another one of those whose hard work did not get the result they would have hoped for.
Raffael Araujo: 6/10
It was the experienced attacker’s running which created the first goal. Raffael was a willing runner throughout his time on the pitch and Gladbach missed his energy the minute he was substituted.
Thorgan Hazard: 7.5/10
The young Belgian was a menace from the word go. His dribbling and constant running at Jordi Alba kept the marauding left back quiet, which many accomplished forwards have been unable to do.
Took his goal with aplomb and is all set to provide a better scoring return than the whole of last season.
Lars Stindl: 6/10
Stindl should have had more opportunities in his way, but was a willing runner. His game, in particular, was a personification of Gladbach’s night – hard working but not efficient enough to finish off the game.
Substitutes
Fabian Johnson: 5/10
Due to Raffael’s injury, Johnson was brought on earlier than he might have hoped to have come as he was carrying a knock coming into the game. It was shown clearly visible that he wasn’t at his best, as this was as ineffective as he’s ever been.
Patrick Hermann: N/A
Gladbach fans will be hoping that the diminutive German returns to his menacing best at the earliest in European football. This match was an effort to give him a few minutes under his belt which he was unable to make the most of.
Anfre Hahn: N/A
A very late replacement in the game, Hahn’s pace and recent effectiveness in front of goal might have helped Gladbach’s efforts earlier in the game.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6/10
Returning to play against his hometown and home club of 18 years, the German did not have an embarrassing moment nor did he have anything to boast about. Did not have many saves to make, nor could he have done anything about the goal.
Jordi Alba: 6/10
Not as adventurous as he would liked to have been, this was a game when Alba needed to be at the top of his defensive game and he did so. Goes on to show what an all rounder he is.
Alba did put in one cross into the box which Neymar got on the end of, but hit it straight to the goalkeeper.
Gerard Pique: 7.5/10
Pique had a few shaky moments initially when Gladbach thrust themselves forward with full force but was able to weather the storm. Showed great awareness to place the ball into the net after Sommer’s mishandle.
Javier Mascherano: 6/10
Not an assuring presence in the first half, Mascherano grew in confidence in the second half. The Argentine intercepted a potential Fabian Johnson one-on-one attempt which would have given the American a clear shot on goal late in the game.
Sergi Roberto: 7/10
The only Barca defender to have a good first half. Roberto showed great skill to rob the ball off Raffael in the 9th minute as the latter was almost through on goal. Contributed going forward for Barcelona a few times in the game.
Sergio Busquets: 5.5/10
Far from his best in the second half, it is a rare occurrence to see Busquets lose the ball like he did in the build up to Gladbach’s goal. The Spaniard was better in the second half but his performance was still a bit disappointing.
Andres Iniesta: 6/10
Although he did not provide a moment of extraordinary magic, Iniesta did nothing to help Barca’s cause either. The Barcelona captain kept the game flowing with a few simple touches which helped regain his side’s rhythm once the second half was underway.
Ivan Rakitic: 6/10
The Croatian a shot blocked by Sommer in the 23rd minute and provided an excellent lobbed pass to Suarez towards the end of the first half. His substitution was justified as it was the match winner who he replaced. Rakitic put in a decent performance and tried his best to influence the game but was not unable to do so.
Neymar: 6/10
The Brazilian attacker provided an exquisite lob for the equaliser. He tried to use his bag of tricks to effect, but was well shackled by the Gladbach unit.
Luis Suarez: 6/10
Suarez’s unselfish play almost proved to be too costly for Barcelona as they lost out on a goal which he regularly converts, but instead tried to lay it on a plate for Alcacer.
The Uruguayan missed a chance in the 11th minute from a position which he is usually deadly from. Ultimately it was his shot from a corner that Sommer failed to clear, for the Catalans’ winning goal.
Paco Alcacer: 5/10
Alcacer put in a very disappointing performance against Gladbach, after he was chosen ahead of Rafinha. Completely anonymous in the first half, his early substitution bore fruit for Barca as they were able to get on better without him in the side.
Substitutes
Rafinha Alcantara: 6.5/10
Rafinha helped inject pace into a dreary and slow Barcelona unit. Alcantara's pace posed a different challenge to Gladbach which helped shake things up for the Catalans
Arda Turan: 8/10
The former Atletico man completely turned the tide towards Barca with his introduction. The combination of his pace, strength and trickery proved too much for Gladbach to handle as he rifled in the equaliser.
Turan almost killed the game off with an exquisite lob which almost caught Sommer off guard. A fantastic half an hour from the Turk.
