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FC Barcelona travelled to Mendizorrotza to face Alaves in the second gameweek of La Liga 17/18. The first half was a cagey affair as Alaves managed to resist Barca's efforts with a combination of disciplined defensive display as well as good goalkeeping. They too carved out a few good chances as Soriano somehow managed to miss a great one-on-one opportunity against Gerard Pique.
However, the second half saw their resolve breaking as they succumbed to a brace from record breaking Lionel Messi. His first came after he turned in a low cross from left by Jordi Alba and was later gifted a second by the Alaves defence. The brace saw him become the first player ever in La Liga history to score 350 goals.
Let's take a look at how the players fared for their respective teams.
Alaves
Fernando Pacheco: 8/10
Quite a contrasting outing when compared to his opposite number. It was him who stood firm and stopped Barca from running riot. Pulled a couple of saves including a fantastic stop off Messi's penalty.
Vigaray: 6/10
The fullback had a decent outing and defended reasonably well barring the opening few minutes. He stayed narrow and didn't really give much in attack. However, both the Barca goals came from his side.
Alexis Ruano: 4/10
It was disappointing day for the centre-back. He first conceded a penalty for his foul on Pique only to be saved from embarrassment by Pacheco and then gave away the ball just outside his box for the second goal. A match to forget for him.
Rodrigo Ely: 6/10
He was solid for most part of the game and did not allow Barcelona to run away with the match from the start. He sniffed out attack after attack to keep the scoreline respectable. Would be gutted to deflect Messi's shot into goal for Barca's first.
Pedraza: 6.5/10
Pedroza put in a good performance as he was constantly in the way of Messi and company, keeping them at bay for a majority of the game. He made a string of important clearances throughout the match.
Oscar Romero: 5.5/10
The Brazilian for most part was seen in his own half defending. In attack he was unspectacular as always and was limited to a couple of hopeful shots from range.
Wakaso: 5/10
The midfielder was industrious and covered a lot of ground for his team. However, the lack of quality was quite apparent as Iniesta and Busquets ran circles around him and his fellow midfielders.
Pina: 6/10
Playing as a defensive midfielder, he was tasked with providing cover to his defenders and minimise the effect of Barcelona's midfield. For all the gulf in quality amongst the players, he did very well and did not allow Barcelona to run riot against them.
Garcia: 5.5/10
Playing in central midfield against the mighty Barcelona is a daunting task and he too must have felt it. Constantly left chasing shadows as Barcelona moved the ball quickly, he still managed to stick to his task well and provided good cover for his defenders.
Gomez: 5/10
The former Athletic Bilbao man, who once played under Valverde, was anonymous. Playing on the left, his contribution in attack was next to zero. He needs to improve drastically.
Sobrino: 5/10
He was an everwilling runner and did make a few clever runs off the ball to initiate a few counter attacks. However, supplies to him were few as he looked isolated up top. he should have converted the one-on-one chance he setup for himself.
Substitutes
Burgui: 5/10
Brought on for Gomez, he too failed to make a mark and was largely disappointing.
Enzo Zidane: N/A
Late substitute but did show a few touches and close control like his dad's.
Santos:N/A
Late substitute.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6.5/10
This is the second consecutive week when he will be getting points for just his distributions. He was not tested much bar one moment when he denied Sobrino one-on-one.
Sergi Roberto: 7/10
Chosen ahead of Semedo to play as a right-back, the Spaniard gave a decent performance. He was constantly running up and down the pitch and linked well with Aleix Vidal on the right.
Gerard Pique: 7/10
The experienced Spaniard was a calm head at the heart of Barca's defence and brought the ball out quite well. He was dominant in the air, both in his box as well as the opposition. He even won a penalty for Barcelona, which Messi missed.
Samuel Umtiti: 7/10
The Frenchman, alongside Gerard Pique, had one of the easier games of his career. Always aggressive and willing to get into a tackle, he kept Alaves' attack at bay. However, he earned his yellow card in a rather stupid manner.
Jordi Alba: 7.5/10
After a disappointing last season, the diminutive Spaniard seems to be hitting top form. He provided the assist for Messi's first and himself had a great chance of adding a third for Barcelona.
Sergio Busquets: 7/10
Another typical Busquets performance. He shielded the back four, broke up play and acted like a deep-lying playmaker. He will be looking forward to a great season.
Ivan Rakitic: 6.5/10
Rakitic worked tirelessly throughout the game. He attacked, though with limited creativity and then tracked back enthusiastically for the entire 90 minutes. The Croatian however, needs to up his attacking game to be a fulcrum of the Barcelona midfield in the days to come.
Andres Iniesta: 7.5/10
Starting his first match in La Liga 17/18, the world cup winner looked sharp and dictated things for Barcelona from the midfield. His turns and touches were delightful to watch and suggest that he may have a few years worth of top level football in his tank.
Aleix Vidal: 6.5/10
He did start brightly and linked well with Roberto on his side but faded away as the match progressed. He was taken off for Alcacer.
Lionel Messi: 8.5/10
The milestone man scored a brace and in the process became the first man to score 350 goals in La Liga. He did miss a penalty and his bad luck with crossbar continued as well. However, unsurprisingly, he was Barca's best player on the pitch.
Gerard Deulofeu: 7/10
The Spanish International started brilliantly but appeared to have faded out as game progressed. He, however was still influential for them and put in a good shift. Though he did put in great effort, he clearly isn't Barca class yet.
Substitutes
Paco Alcacer: 7/10
He provided the assist for Messi's second goal but would have been disappointed to yet again play out of position at left-wing after coming on. His form needs to improve drastically if he has to have a shot at a starting spot.
Denis Suarez: 6/10
Late substitute for Paco Alcacer.
Paulinho: N/A
