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FC Barcelona travelled to Madrid for their La Liga face off against Leganes. The match was a cagey affair as Leganes put up a decent enough fight against a side much stronger than them on paper. The first half saw just one goal being scored, courtesy Luis Suarez following a goof-up from Leganes' keeper.
The game opened up in the second half, though, and it was FC Barcelona who pounced upon their opportunities to score two more goals. Luis Suarez acrobatically turned the ball back into the net after an Alcaer shot was palmed his way. Paulinho then added a third in the dying moments of the match following some more scruffy play from Barca.
Here, let’s take a look at how the players fared for both the teams:
Leganes
Ivan Cuellar: 6.5/10
Cuellar 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 Leganes in the game. However, he could have done way better for the first goal as his save dropped right in front of him onto the feet of Suarez.
Joseba Zaldua: 5.5/10
Defending the right flank for Leganes, he put in a fairly decent performance. He was troubled a bit whenever Alba overlapped and in general got better of him. Attacking, he did not show the willingness to join the attack and lacked the end product.
Ezequiel Munoz: 6/10
He was solid for the 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 have deflected Suarez's shot into the goal for Barca's second.
Dimitrios Slovas: 7/10
He was solid in most parts 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. He was booked for a shirt tug late in the second half.
Diego Rico: 7.5/10
Rico was solid enough in defence and did not allow either Semedo or later Vidal to beat him. He did not venture upfield much. A sound defensive outing.
Ruben Perez: 7/10
The midfielder was combative and very efficient in possession. He was intelligent in distribution and defended resolutely. Though this was not his best outing, he surely did his job reasonably well.
Gabriel Pires: 6.5/10
Pires had a decent game. Though he was not very influential in the second half, he came out on top in the midfield battle against Barca’s midfielders during the initial 45 minutes. His distribution was efficient, if not eye-catching.
Nabil El Zahr: 4.5/10
Playing on the right side for Leganes, he could not muster up much of a challenge for Jordi Alba. He was slow to react and was off the frequency on which his teammates played.
Javier Eraso: 6.5/10
Eraso had a good game. He helped in the team's buildups and was a constant thorn for Barcelona's defence. His end-product led him down big time and was taken off at halftime for more attacking options as Leganes tried their best to crawl back into the game.
Alexander Szymanowski: 7/10
Coming up against Semedo and giving him a tough time with pace is not something many have done. He was full of trickery and pace and sent in a couple of good crosses into the box.
Nordin Amrabat: 7.5/10
Very much like his teammates, he faded away in the second half. However, in the first half, he was absolutely sensational as a target man for the Madrid-based club. He was, indeed, let down by his finishing.
Substitutes:
Claudio Beauvue: 5/10
Beauvue was poor going forward in the second half. He was not involved much in buildup plays and missed a golden opportunity in the second half to equalize off an amazing cross.
Gerard Gumbau: 5/10
Former FC Barcelona player Gumbau was brought on to steady the ship and to impose more control in the midfield. He was neither a sufficient enough defensive cover, nor did he help his team keep more possession of the ball.
Raul Garcia: N/A
Late Substitution. Did not have enough time to influence the game.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 8/10
The German International was a standout performer in goal tonight. He pulled off a brilliant save to ward off Szymanowski's curling effort and a couple of one-on-ones, apart from a number of routine saves.
Nelson Semedo: 5/10
Semedo was poor today after a string of good performances this season. He was left too isolated on the right-hand side and lost the ball quite often. Defensively too he struggled often against Szymanowski.
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 and firm in his tackles. He earned his yellow card in a rather stupid manner.
Samuel Umtiti: 7.5/10
The Frenchman, alongside Gerard Pique, had one of the tougher games of his career. Always aggressive and willing to get into a tackle, he kept Leganes' attack at bay.
Jordi Alba: 7.5/10
Alba has been a consistent performer for the Blaugrana and tonight was no different. Always full of energy, he buzzed up and down the left flank, defending doggedly and was always open for a pass out wide.
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: 6/10
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: 5.5/10
The veteran midfielder had a rare poor game. Unimaginative in attack and generally lethargic, he struggled to have any significant say in the game. He was subbed off in the second half for the eventual goalscorer, Paulinho.
Paco Alcacer: 5.5/10
The Spaniard was involved in two goals but was mostly anonymous. He showed limited creativity on the ball, gave away the ball cheaply on numerous occasions. Defensively, he did help out his teams with a couple of crucial turnovers.
Luis Suarez: 7.5/10
The old Luisito seems to be on his way back. Took his goals well by being at the right place at the right time. He worked hard all night and never shied away from any physical battles.
Lionel Messi: 7.5/10
He had a very average game by his standards, though he still was better than most of the players on the field. He could not find much joy in the first half, as Leganes defended resolutely but was influential in the second half, as he assisted Paulinho's final nail in Legans' coffin.
Substitutes:
Paulinho: 7/10
The much-ridiculed summer signing turned out to be the saviour of Barcelona tonight. He brought physicality into the midfield and scored a fine goal to swing the result in Barcelona's favour.
Aleix Vidal: 6/10
Brought on for Semedo, he saw out the rest of the match by keeping things simple. He missed a glorious opportunity to score a goal late in the second half.
Denis Suarez: N/A
Late substitutions but did show a few silky turns and touches, though it wasn't enough to influence the game.
