Champions League final Player Ratings: Juventus 1-3 Barcelona

Arturo Vidal and Luis Suarez vie for the ball during the Champions League final

It was another historic night at Berlin as Barcelona defeated Juventus 3-1 in the Champions League final. While Barcelona become the first team in history to complete the treble on two separate occasions (2008/09 & 2014/15), Juventus made history of their own by becoming the first club to lose six Champions League finals.

In a game that was more open than many predicted, the Catalans overcame the Italian champions owing to their superior quality. Their movement and skill seemed to always give them an edge over their opponents and it could have been even more. Here are the player ratings from this enthralling encounter from Berlin.

Barcelona

Marc-André Ter-Stegen (6/10): Nothing much for the German to do in the first half with only one shot on target from the Italians. Not the most convincing of displays though when he was called upon after the break.

Dani Alves (7/10): Nearly doubled the Catalans’ lead and supported Messi well down the right. Cool in defence.

Gerard Piqué (8/10): Won nearly everything in the air as he should against Carlos Tevez. Had a good chance on the turn to put the final nail in the coffin but missed.

Javier Mascherano (7/10): A very wobbly first couple of minutes, but came good as time wore on. Did well with his task of keeping tabs on Morata.

Jordi Alba (8/10): Great touch to set up the first goal. Had very little to do as Juventus lacked much width on the right. His only blemish was when he was taken out by Marchisio’s back heel.

Sergio Busquets (7.5/10): Never does quite draw attention on most ocassions, and neither did he do so tonight. But he knows how to keep the Barca midfield ticking, which he did impressively as well.

Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta combined beautifully for Barcelona’s first goal

Ivan Rakiti? (7.5/10): Man on the spot to give Barcelona the early lead. He was at the right place at the right time as Iniesta hopped into the box.

Andres Iniesta (8/10): Coolness personified at the middle of the park. Poise and class evident with the way he set up the opening goal.

Neymar (8.5/10): Had a few bright moments in the opening minutes and looked really sharp as he troubled the Juve defence with his movement. Should have put the game to bed when he had nothing, but finally scored late on deep into injury time.

Luis Suárez (8/10): Johnny on the spot to slot the ball home after Buffon had palmed away Messi’s initial shot. Tonight, he was tasked with not only playing off of the last defender’s shoulder, but also the man given the responsibility to keep Pirlo off the ball whenever Juventus were in possession.

Lionel Messi (8.5/10): Started more as a winger, playing down the touchline. This really helped stretch the Juventus defence and keep Patrice Evra from going on the front foot. While the Argentine didn’t get his name on the scoresheet, the diminutive southpaw had a part to play in Suarez’s goal.

Neymar and Luis Suarez scored in the second half to win it for Barcelona

Substitutes

Xavi (7.5/10): Came in and calmed it down at the middle of the park when Juventus were beginning to get a stronghold on the game. His 25th trophy with the club. What a way to say goodbye.

Pedro (7/10): Came in late to set up Neymar’s goal on the counter-attack to put the game out of reach.

Jeremy Mathieu (NA): Brought in late just as an insurance policy.

Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon (7.5/10): Busier than Max Allegri would have liked him, but I guess he should have expected such a workout given the arsenal that Barcelona has. His presence was one of the reasons that the Old Lady was still in the game. His only blemish was a poor pass that let Neymar in on goal in the 44th minute. Lucky not to be punished though.

Gianluigi Buffon kept Juventus in the game against Barcelona in the first half

Stephan Lichtsteiner (6.5/10): Was bogged down in the first half with Neymar tearing down Barcelona’s left flank. It was his run in the second half that brought Juventus back into the game.

Andrea Barzagli (5.5/10): It’s hard to replace Giorgio Chiellini, ever harder when it is against Barcelona and you are coming back from an injury. That was the task in front of the Italian, and you can’t totally fault him for being a step behind most of the night.

Leonardo Bonucci (7/10): Troubled all night with the pace and movement of the Barcelona forwards. However, did well not to get beaten one-on-one by any of them.

Patrice Evra (6.5/10): Had the poisoned chalice of trying to contain Lionel Messi. Defensive duties bogged him down and prevented the Frenchman from any forays up front.

Andrea Pirlo (5.5/10): Not his usual dominating self. The Italians struggled as they failed to get Pirlo on the ball.

Claudio Marchisio challenges Lionel Messi for the ball in the Champions League final

Claudio Marchisio (6.5/10): A classy backheel was what began rolling the wheels leading to the Juve goal. A few good efforts from the Italian were on offer, but he did not offer much in terms of poise and possesion.

Paul Pogba (7/10): Didn’t take over the game but his moments show some real promise. Had a decent claim to a penalty in the second half too but was not given.

Arturo Vidal (6/10): Seemed to have lost the plot early and could have easily got a red card in the first 45 minutes of the game. More promising and prominent in the second half.

Alvaro Morata (7/10): Not only knows where the goal is, but has the forward’s instinct to sniff out the place to be to score the goal. A dream run in the knockout phases comes to an end.

Carlos Tevez (6.5/10): Had two decent opportunities to get his name on the scoresheet but both shots were off target. Fought valiantly to give Juventus some presence up front.

Carlos Tevez had a couple of chances to score in the Champions League final

Substitutes

Fernando Llorente (5.5/10): Failed to have the kind of impact Allegri imagined when he replaced Morata to give Juventus a more explicit focal point in attack.

Kingsley Coleman (NA): Never really got the time or space to make his presence felt.

Roberto Pereyra (5/10): Anonymous except for a half-chance where the Argentine failed to show any conviction.