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Barcelona travelled to their cross-town rivals Espanyol for the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-finals tie. The match as a whole was very much a stale affair.
The first half saw Barcelona create a few openings. They were the more dominant side, yet they never got into full flow. The chances they created were either saved heroically by Diego Lopez, or were off target.
The second half saw Espanyol get more adventurous, as Barcelona struggled to create anything of meaning in the final third. Lionel Messi missed a glorious chance to put them ahead when his penalty was saved.
However, this gave chance to Espanyol to go for the winner, which they did find via Melendo. The match ended 1-0 in Espanyol's favour.
Without further ado, let's take a look at how the players rated for the two sides:
Espanyol
Diego Lopez: 9/10
The former Real Madrid custodian was a solid presence at the back. He was called into action quite often and did well on all occasions. He made excellent stops throughout the match to keep his team in the game. He also saved a Lionel Messi penalty.
Marc Navarro: 7/10
The full-back had a pretty solid game for his team. He did not allow anyone on his inside, neither did he allow Digne to flourish on the overlap. Attacking, he did not venture up much, but who can demand more after such a solid showing at the back.
Oscar Duarte: 8/10
The centre-back, like his defensive partners, was always alert to the dangers Barcelona players posed to his goal and was ever-ready to deal with them. He never gave an inch of space to anyone in and around the penalty box.
Naldo: 8/10
Naldo put in a good performance as he was constantly in the way of Messi and company, keeping them at bay for the majority of the game. He made a string of important interceptions and tackles to keep Espanyol in the game.
Aaron Martin: 6.5/10
Aaron Martin defended his team's left flank quite diligently. He was tentative and always ready to go into a tackle. However, he quite often overwhelmed by the overlapping Roberto and Aleix Vidal combo.
Sergi Darder: 6/10
Playing as a right-winger on the night, his attacking input during his time on the pitch was next to nothing. However, he more than made up for it by tracking back and covering the runs of Lucas Digne.
David Lopez: 7/10
The nimble-footed midfielder had a quite different role to play tonight. He was asked to play inside his own half without seeing much of the ball. He did that very well while also using his ability to turn defence into attack quickly.
Javi Fuego: 8/10
The defensive midfielder was quite combative in the middle of the park. He screened his defence well and never did shy away from a tackle despite suffering from concussions throughout the tie.
Victor Sanchez: 6.5/10
The former Barcelona midfielder put in a great performance in the middle of the park. He tracked back to defend when not in possession and then went ahead to support his teammates with equal enthusiasm.
Esteban Granero: 6/10
The wide midfielder did not contribute much to his team's attacking fortunes. However, just like his counterpart on the other side of the pitch, his hard work in defence was absolutely crucial. He did concede the penalty though, which, thankfully, was not converted.
Gerard Moreno: 5.5/10
Gerard Moreno cut a long figure upfront. He was not provided with ample service in the first half while also bring marshalled quite closely by Vermaelen and Pique.
Substitutes:
Leo Baptistao: 6/10
He was brought on in the second half to add more attacking impetus to the home side's game, which he did. His introduction saw Espanyol attack with a fixed a target man as he tone Barcelona defence to some extent with his physicality
Didac Vila: 6.5/10
He was brought on for Aaron Martin with more than half an hour to play. With an important flank to protect, he continued Aaron's good work down the right-hand side as he closed down spaces behind and in front of him with pace.
Oscar Melendo: 8/10
Brought on for Javi Fuego, he had quite big boots to fill after the kind of performance that was put by his Captain. He went one up as he ghosted into Barca's box and scored the winner.
Barcelona
Jasper Cillessen: 7/10
The Dutch international started in this cup tie in place of regular keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. He was generally solid and made a few good saves, especially in the second half. There was not much he could have done about the goal, as it was placed quite well in the bottom corner.
Sergi Roberto: 6/10
Sergi Roberto was uncharacteristically sloppy today. He was not very involved in the attack and gave away the ball on quite a few occasions, including a very poor back pass. However, he defended well and also won a penalty for his side.
Gerard Pique: 7.5/10
The Spanish international looks to have regained his peak form after a slow start to the season. He was always ready at the back, aware of all the incoming dangers and had his sleeves up to it. He dominated Espanyol attackers in the air and was quite solid when put one on one.
Thomas Vermaelen: 7/10
The Belgian international has been a revelation for Barcelona this season. As usual, he was his usual aggressive, reliable self. He was assured in possession and monstrous in the air. However, he was caught upfield for the goal and would be disappointed to have that dent on his near-perfect night.
Lucas Digne: 6.5/10
It is not a surprise that on a night when both the Barcelona fullbacks did not provide the optimum level of attacking input, the team struggled in attack. However, to Digne's credit, he was solid in defence and almost always won his tackles.
Sergio Busquets: 7/10
The Spanish international was his usual self at the base of the midfield despite an absence of his regular midfield partners. He broke down plays with consummate ease and then started the counter attacks.
Paulinho: 5/10
The Brazilian was certainly not quite involved in the game. His creative impetus for a very demanding Blaugrana side was almost zero while defensively, he did contribute well. He was taken off due to an injury in the second half.
Carles Alena: 6/10
Starting in the first team against the derby rivals in quite a charged environment can be daunting for any seasoned player, let alone a youth player. He played well for his age with tactical discipline and positional awareness. However, he was overwhelmed by Espanyol's physicality.
Denis Suarez: 6/10
The young Spaniard was given a rare start as the key team players were rested for this cup tie. However, if this performance was a parameter of any sort to break into the first team, he may need more time and effort to nail down a regular starting spot.
Aleix Vidal: 5/10
Vidal came to Barcelona on back of some very interesting and solid performances at Sevilla. He has since only underwhelmed Barca faithful. Today was no different. His chemistry with Roberto appears good but the end products just weren't there.
Lionel Messi: 6.5/10
Messi, quite simply stated, had an underwhelming game. He was quite active in the first half and created good chances for himself as well as his teammates. However, he went AWOL after the missed penalty which hurt Barca's chances of a win.
Substitutes:
Ivan Rakitic: 6/10
Brought on for an injured Paulinho, he did help Barcelona exert more control in the midfield. However, for all his efforts, Espanyol's defence could not be breached.
Luis Suarez: 5.5/10
El Pistolero was introduced in place of Alena as Valverde decided to go for a win. Limited service and a couple of failed attempts at linking up with Messi was all he could manage in his 30 minutes on the pitch.
Rafinha: N/A
He was brought on late in the game and just did not have enough time to affect the outcome.
