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Lucien Favre's high-flying Borussia Dortmund welcomed LaLiga champions Barcelona for what was anticipated to be an exhilarating fixture between two of the best sides in world football. However, the game failed to live up to the hype and ended in a stalemate at the end of 90 minutes.
Borussia Dortmund created more goal-scoring opportunities and looked the much better team throughout the game. Favre and his side would be very disappointed not to come away with all three points despite being dominant for most of the 90 minutes.
Barcelona, on the other hand, were far from their best and produced an underwhelming attacking display against the Black and Yellow.
Despite not being the most entertaining game of football, the individual performances from some players would have really excited both sets of fans. On that note, we pick three players who impressed during the game.
#3 Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho's rise in the last 18 months has been truly meteoric. The 19-year-old has transformed into one of the best young players in the world and is expected to only get better with time.
Despite the plethora of incredible players on the pitch, the England international stole the limelight with his superlative performance. Sancho's pace and quick-feet were problematic for the Barcelona defenders to deal with.
Sancho completed 90% of his attempted passes and five out of nine attempted dribbles, and made eight recoveries during the 90 minutes against the Blaugrana. Moreover, the 19-year-old won a penalty for his side by deceiving Nelson Semedo with his trickery inside the box.
The youngster was Dortmund's best player by far and showed that he is more than capable of performing on the biggest stages against the best sides in world football.
#2 Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong is considered one of the best young midfielders in world football, and his performance against Borussia Dortmund showed exactly why. The 22-year-old midfielder was deployed alongside Sergio Busquets and Arthur in the midfield and he outperformed both of his teammates.
The Dutchman looked assured on the ball and never seemed like losing the ball despite the pressure from the Dortmund players. The midfielder completed a whopping 91% of his attempted passes and 100% of his attempted dribbles.
The 22-year-old was astute off the ball as well, making nine recoveries and winning six out of his 11 duels. It was undoubtedly De Jong's best game in a Barcelona shirt since his arrival in the summer.
#1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Marc-Andre ter Stegen showed why he is considered one of the best goalkeepers in world football at the moment. The 27-year-old spared Barcelona's blushes on more than one occasion by making some incredible saves to keep his side in the game.
The shot-stopper made four saves during the game to come away with a clean sheet. The German international also saved a crucial penalty to deny his countryman Marco Reus and help his side earn a point at the end of the game.
Ter Stegen has been keen to replace Manuel Neuer as the number 1 for the German national side. This performance against Borussia Dortmund would have given the management something to think about.
