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Barcelona suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, October 26. The result confirms that the hosts will drop down into the Europa League round of 32.
Barca entered this game on the back of three wins, one draw, and one loss in their last five games across competitions. They were six points behind second-placed Inter Milan, who secured a comfortable victory over Viktoria Plzen earlier in the day.
Xavi Hernandez fielded a strong lineup with the players he had at his disposal. Hector Bellerin was handed a start as Sergi Roberto was ruled out with an injury.
Barcelona made a decent start to the game and passed the ball around well. Their midfielders moved into advanced areas as the team maintained a high line. This approach left them susceptible to counter-attacks and they were punished after just 10 minutes. Serge Gnabry played a lovely aerial pass towards Sadio Mane, who showed great strength to fend off Hector Bellerin as he scored to make it 1-0.
The hosts conceded another goal from a slick move by Bayern Munich as they moved the ball swiftly down the right wing. Gnabry was the provider once again as he released Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting into space. The forward kept his composure and picked his spot as he scored to put Barcelona two goals down.
Robert Lewandowski had a penalty shout late in the first half which the referee awarded first. However, he reversed his decision following a VAR review and the spot-kick was canceled. Despite having greater possession, Barcelona managed just one shot compared to Bayern's six. The hosts went into the break with a mountain to climb.
Bayern Munich picked up where they left off and made a strong start to the second half, committing bodies forward to create goalscoring opportunities. After two assists in the first period, Gnabry scored a goal to put his side three goals to the good. However, VAR intervened and ruled the goal out as he was offside when Joshua Kimmich played the pass.
Both Xavi Hernandez and Julian Nagelsmann made multiple changes as they looked to revitalize their teams. Barcelona made several attempts to hit Bayern on the counter attack but were unable to find the final ball. The visitors, on the other hand, were unlucky not to score after creating decent opportunities.
Gnabry completed a hat-trick of assists in the dying embers as his miscued shot made its way to Benjamin Pavard. The Frenchman made no mistake and tapped in from close range to make it 3-0. The referee ended the game shortly after.
That said, let's take a look at how Barcelona's players fared in the game.
Barcelona Player Ratings
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6.5/10
Ter Stegen was kept busy in Barcelona's goal as Bayern ran riot in multiple phases during the game. He was beaten thrice, but made four saves throughout the contest.
Hector Bellerin - 6/10
Bellerin had a poor game as he struggled to mark Bayern Munich's runners being the last-man in Barcelona's offside trap. He was the last defender for Bayern's opening two goals.
Jules Kounde - 6/10
Kounde had a poor game as he struggled to mark Mane and Gnabry who ran rings around Barcelona's defense. He won just one of his eight duels and was dispossessed nine times.
Marcos Alonso - 6/10
Alonso struggled to play as a central defender considering it is not his natural position. He did not with either of his two duels but made one clearance.
Alejandro Balde - 6/10
Balde rounds off a performance to forget by Barcelona's defensive unit as he had a poor game as well. He failed to play a single cross or long ball and won just four of his nine duels.
Franck Kessie - 6/10
Kessie had an average game in the middle of the pitch. He won five of his 10 duels and made two tackles as Bayern ran through the hosts with ease.
Sergio Busquets - 6/10
Busquets put in a subpar performance and was also booked during the game. He won three of his five duels and played two accurate long balls. He also attempted one shot that was off target.
Frenkie de Jong - 6/10
De Jong struggled to get going offensively despite his side keeping more of the ball throughout the game. He won just three of his nine duels and failed to register a single shot, long ball or cross.
Ousmane Dembele - 6/10
The Frenchman got into some decent positions but his decision-making let him down. He won nine of his 23 duels and made five tackles.
Pedri - 6.5/10
Pedri had a good game as he was deployed on the left flank by Xavi. He passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including one key pass and one long ball. He also won two of his three duels.
Robert Lewandowski - 6.5/10
Lewandowski was often left isolated in the box as Bayern marked him in numbers. He attempted two shots, both of which were blocked. He won six of his nine duels and played one key pass.
Substitutes
Ferran Torres - 6/10
Torres came on to replace Busquets as Xavi tried to go for a more offensive approach. He had a decent game overall.
Raphinha - 6/10
Raphinha replaced Pedri just before the hour-mark and had a decent game.
Eric Garcia - 6/10
Garcia came on in the second half and looked shaky in defense in a subpar performance.
Ansu Fati - 6/10
Fati replaced Dembele and played well.
Pablo Torre - N/A
He came on in the closing stages of the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
