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Barcelona laboured to a 2-0 win at Ipurua to beat a spirited Eibar and provisionally extend the lead at the top to 10 points. Luis Suarez opened the scorings in the first half after the rounding the goalkeeper on being released clean through by Messi, while Jordi Alba consolidated the three points with a strike only two minutes from time.
The hosts, full of vim and vigour, had to contend with only 10 men for almost half an hour after Fabian Orellana was shown a red for losing his calm, but that did little to water down on their unflinching resolve as Eibar continued to press.
Barcelona held their nerve and cruised to another victory as the pressures once again on the chasing pack. Here’s how each player on the field fared on a rainy evening in Basque country.
Eibar
Marko Dmitrovic– 8/10
Eibar’s star of the evening, Dmitrovic strained every sinew in trying to keep the game open and pulled off a string of saves to deny the visitors. The two goals that Eibar conceded is upon its defense that switched-off in those moments, but the Serbian otherwise, was rusty and robust.
Ruben Pena- 7/10
The right-back brought pace to Eibar’s wings as the visitors struggled to clamp down on their attack due to slightly inferior speed. Pena laid a few decent crosses going forward and also put in a considerable shift at the back.
Ivan Ramis– 6/10
His only notable contribution to the game was a headed effort by latching on to Orellana’s pass which he could only directly over the bar. Ramis was out of position in the build-up to Suarez’s opener and was replaced at the break by David Lomban in a tactical move.
Anaitz Arbilla– 7/10
Eibar’s centre-back sparkled in bits and parts, while Suarez and Messi had outfoxed him on occasions otherwise. Arbilla communicated well with Ramis, though unfortunate to be rendered helpless on both times that the Blaugrana found the net.
Jose Angel– 7/10
Angel took the first initiative of the match at goal when he tried his luck with a headed attempt in the first minute if only he could drive it on target. A terrific assistance down the left flank, Angel, however, was beaten when Suarez raced towards goal in the build-up to the opener.
Dani Garcia– 7/10
Garcia proved to be a brawny presence in the centre of the park, muscling the ball back into possession and charging forward at any given space. The 27-year old was the key to instigating Eibar’s attack.
Papakouli Diop– 7/10
The Senegalese was at the heart of everything, good as well as bad, for Eibar. He first drew Iniesta into the books by pulling a foul, then created a lucrative chance for Orellana, before collecting a yellow himself for a foul that triggered Orellana’s angry reaction resulted into the latter’s red.
What an evening for him!
Fabian Orellana– 7/10
Today we got to see the Mr.Jekyll as well as Mr.Hyde residing within him, for the former Valencia player was an active presence in the attack, creating good chances for his teammates, but was also responsible for causing his side go a man down after being sent off for a moment of madness that saw him punch the ball out of park in rage.
Joan Jordan– 6.5/10
Jordan did his best going forward, but some poor finishing and a moment of miscommunication with Orellana let him down. He was at the receiving end of some of the better chances mustered by the hosts, if only he was a bit more clinical.
Takashi Inui– 7/10
Another case of disappointing profligacy, the Japanese international had a go at goal on numerous occasions, but not once did he dispatch the chances with a flair that would’ve otherwise brought something for Los Armeros.
Kike Garcia– 7.5/10
Eibar’s no.9 caused Gerard Pique all sorts of a headache, for he was one of the instrumental reasons behind the home side’s relentless pressing. But again, a little accuracy could’ve led to productivity.
Substitutes
David Lomban– 6/10
Was brought in to beef up the Eibar citadel and did a decent job in the defense, though couldn’t prevent his side from conceding a second.
Gonzalo Escalante– 6/10
Had barely a quarter of an hour to make an impact, and the only noteworthy from him was a long-effort in the dying embers that sailed just wide off the post.
Charles– N/A
Charles was brought on with only five minutes left on the clock and was barely seen in that little time.
FC Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegan– 8.5/10
The scoreline may suggest otherwise, but Ter Stegan was a busy man all evening. Right from the off when Eibar pushed forward, the German was made to be on his toes and he did an admirable job. And the reward? Another cleansheet!
Sergi Roberto– 7.5/10
Overlapped at the front with his constant run-ins, Roberto put in a good shift from offensively as well as defensively to keep the hosts at arm’s length.
Gerard Pique– 8/10
The maverick defender was kept engaged all evening by a spirited Eibar side who tested the Barcelona defense time and again. Pique, however, stood firm and didn’t put a wrong foot forward even under pressure.
Samuel Umtiti– 8/10
Back into the line-up and back in action, Umtiti looked as graceful as ever and once again forged an obdurate defensive partnership with Pique to frustrate Eibar all night.
Jordi Alba– 8.5/10
The former Valencian was found more in the attack than in the defense, as he made hay going forward and capped off a lively outing with a late strike that sealed a win. But early on in the match, Alba was also responsible for making a crucial intervention when Eibar tried to play Orellana behind Barcelona’s defense and thereby prevented a potential equalizer.
Sergio Busquets– 8/10
As ever, Busquets stemmed every attack engineered by the visitors whilst also keeping the juices flowing through the midfield as Eibar threatened to take control of the game. He was also a protective cover to the back four and denied the hosts any luck with the net.
Ivan Rakitic– 7/10
Relatively quiet in the attack, the Croat had an off-day going forward. He did, however, make incisive passes forward to maintain the tempo in Barcelona’s movements.
Andres Iniesta– 7.5/10
He was curiously started ahead of Coutinho despite the all-important Champions League clash with Chelsea looming, but Iniesta came out safely and unscathed. He also linked-up well with Messi in picking out spaces in Eibar’s defense and was subbed off just minutes after the hour.
Paulinho– 6.5/10
Having replaced Paco Alcacer in the starting XI, Paulinho didn’t have the best of the outings. The Brazilian appeared laboured in his movements and was powerless with the header he attempted early on. The home side swarmed around him everytime he was in possession, and Ernesto Valverde put him out of his misery with 15 minutes remaining.
Luis Suarez– 8.5/10
The Uruguayan was once again the primary source of Barcelona’s target and opened the scorings by nonchalantly rounding off the keeper before tapping the ball into an empty net for an easy finish. He also tried setting up Messi and Paulinho while going forward but was rendered unfruitful.
Lionel Messi– 8.5/10
The Argentine ace had an uncharacteristic stinker when it came to his endeavours in finding the net himself against a side he loves scoring. However, that didn’t prevent him from influencing the game as it was his initial effort at Dmitrovic that allowed Alba to connect in the rebound while also laid a defense-splitting pass for Suarez for the opener, thereby having a hand in both of Barcelona’s goals.
