The second leg of Copa del Rey semifinal saw Atletico Madrid visit Barcelona with an aim to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg. However, despite a valiant effort, they could only muster up a draw.
In a physical match where three players were sent off as Sergi Roberto, Yannick Carrasco and Luis Suarez the red.
However, Suarez didn’t leave the field before giving Barcelona the lead. The Uruguayan struck in the 43rd minute after Moya parried a fine Lionel Messi shot into his path. Messi then again went on to rattle the crossbar with a fine attempt from a free-kick.
On the other end, Antoine Griezmann’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside before Gameiro missed a penalty. But in the 83rd minute, these two combined well together which resulted in a Kevin Gameiro goal. However, that proved just too little and too late as Barcelona took one more step towards capturing their first trophy this season.
Here let’s take a look at how the players from both sides fared.
Barcelona
Jasper Cilessen: 9/10
A masterful performance from the Dutchman, who along with his defence kept Atletico Madrid at a distance. Easily the man of the match.
Gerrard Pique: 8/10
Pique was absolutely rock solid. He kept both Fernando Torres and Antoine Griezmann at bay to secure a draw for 9-men Barca. The Spaniard could really consider himself was unlucky to concede a penalty.
Samuel Umtiti: 8/10
Just like his centre-back partner, Umtiti kept a cool head and dealt with everything Atletico threw at him. His composure on the ball was also laudable.
Jordi Alba: 8/10
Though he was not much involved in the attacking third as we have been accustomed to but was astute solid in defence, pocketing a dangerous Carrasco.
Sergi Roberto: 5.5/10
He was doing a good job at the right-back position and kept Gaitan and Felipe Luis fairly quiet for the majority of the game. His night, however, didn’t end on a good note as he was sent off as a result of collecting two fairly cheap yellow cards.
Denis Suarez: 6.5/10
He was decent when on the ball if not spectacular. The ex-Villarreal man combined well with Arda Turan on Barcelona’s left-hand side. He was, however, taken off for Javier Mascherano after Roberto saw red.
Andre Gomes: 7.5/10
The Portuguese Euro winner had one of the better nights since moving from Valencia this summer. He kept things simple in the middle of the park. It was his turn and pass that eventually led to Suarez’s goal.
Ivan Rakitic: 6.5/10
Rakitic was industrious in his midfield role today as he covered a lot of ground and broke up play when required. However, offensively he did not contribute much.
Arda Turan: 6.5/10
Filling Neymar’s shoes in such a crunch tie against a very defensive team would be an uphill task for many players. However, Arda did fairly well in that role and combined well with Denis Suarez.
Luis Suarez: 7.5/10
Suarez was the second Barca player to be sent off on the night as he collected two yellows late in the game after he sent Barca in front with an opportunistic finish. With chances hard to come by, he did fairly well and pressed the Atletico backline.
Lionel Messi: 7.5/10
Today was not his best night but was still influential as it was his shot which Moya parried into Suarez‘s way for Barca’s goal. He also hit the crossbar with an amazing free kick.
Substitutes
Javier Mascherano: 6/10
He came on for Denis Suarez after Roberto saw his second yellow for the night. He slotted neatly at right-back and made some important tackles.
Andres Iniesta: 5.5/10
Brought on late in the game for Rakitic, he was neat in possession but didn’t get forward much.
Sergio Busquets: 6/10
Another player to return after an injury layoff for Barca, Busquets kept things simple as Barcelona sat deep and thwarted Atletico’s attempts on goal.
Atletico Madrid
Moya: 6/10
It was a fairly quiet night for the custodian as Atletico dominated the game. However, he did occasionally look suspect with the ball at his feet.
Juanfran: 6/10
The Spanish international did not foray forward as much as he would like to, but on a few occasions, he did send in some teasing crosses. Defensively, he did largely have Turan under control.
Diego Godin: 7/10
The Uruguayan was unlucky to have to go off with an injury but for the time he was on the pitch, he was solid in defence and even had a few chances on the other side of the pitch.
Stefan Savic: 7/10
Although Atletico dominated the game, with chances for Barca far and few in between, he was troubled by Suarez’s movement and struggled to keep tabs on him. He was booked late into the game.
Felipe Luis: 7/10
The majority of Atletico’s attacks came from their left side and most of them were thanks to this man. He popped up where on the pitch, whether in attack or in defence. However, he was let down by his crossing.
Nicolas Gaitan: 6/10
The Argentina international had a quiet game by his standard. Coming up against Sergi Roberto, Diego Simeone must have expected more from him. He did whip in some testing deliveries from the left-hand side but was largely ineffective.
Saul: 6 /10
The Spanish youngster had a good first half where he was good on the ball and combative without it. However, he faded away as the match progressed.
Koke: 7/10
Without Gabi by his side, the onus was on the Spaniard to deliver and he did well enough. His set pieces caused problems for Barca’s defence and sent in some amazing crosses late in the game.
Yannick Carrasco: 3.5/10
The young Belgian would like to forget the match as soon as possible. He was ineffective with or without the ball and shot straight at the keeper when he had a chance early in the game. He then went on to collect two yellows and was sent off.
Antoine Griezmann: 7/10
The Frenchman saw a goal wrongly ruled out for offside and then later on provided Gameiro with a fantastic assist. However, he was kept well in check by Barca defence in the first half but his impact on the game grew as the game wore on.
Fernando Torres: 5.5/10
The veteran Spanish striker had a very quiet game as he was kept well in check both in the air and on the ground his compatriot Gerrard Pique. He offered little to the game and was taken off in the second half.
Substitutes:
Correa: 6/10
Brought on for Gaitan, he had a few tame shots on goal but was an ever willing runner for the Madrid-based side.
Lucas Hernandez: 5.5/10
The youngster was brought on after Godin had to be taken off due to injury, he slotted well at centre-back but was outclassed occasionally, which is alright given his age.
Kevin Gameiro: 6/10
Coming on for Torres, he had a great chance to equalise but instead sent his penalty over the crossbar. He did rectify it though with a goal later but it was too little and too late for Atletico.
