Barcelona 6-1 AS Roma: Player Ratings
Spanish giants, Barcelona put in an outstanding performance to secure a thumping 6-1 victory over a woeful AS Roma side at the Camp Nou. A brace from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi along with a goal each from Gerard Pique and Adriano saw the hosts secure top spot in their group with a game in hand.
Edin Dzeko was the only Roma player to get on the score sheet on a night to forget for the visitors. Roma now need to beat BATE Borisov in their remaining match in order to progress to knock-out stages of the competition.
Here is the report card of the players involved in the game.
Barcelona:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen- 7.5/10
Ter Stegen was given a chance in goal ahead of Claudio Bravo and the German did not disappoint. The 23-year-old pulled off a remarkable save early in the second half to deny Iago Falque from opening the score for the visitors.
He also kept out an Edin Dzeko penalty later on in the game. However, he was unable to keep a clean sheet as Roma managed to net one in just before the final whistle.
Dani Alves- 7.5/10
Dani Alves looked threatening on the right-hand side of the pitch linking up brilliantly with both Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic. The Brazilian international unselfishly set up Luis Suarez for the Barcelona's first goal of the match. Defensively, he had virtually little to do as Roma never really got out from their own half.
Gerard Pique- 7.5/10
The 28-year-old central defender looked solid at the heart of the defense, even though he had an easy day at the office. After Barcelona secured a comfortable lead, the Spanish centre-back did not seem shy of going forward as well. He eventually popped up in the right place to guide home a simple tap in and score the fourth goal for the hosts.
Thomas Vermaelen- 6/10
The Belgian came in the side for the injured Javier Mascherano and although he did not have much to do in the game, he linked up well Gerard Pique in the heart of the defense.
He was responsible for conceding a penalty late in the game, which was eventually saved by ter Stegen. But, he was unable to clear off the danger in the dying moments of the game that led to the visitors’ only goal of the game.
Jordi Alba- 7/10
Jordi Alba marched forward on the left flank at will to provide assistance to the bubbling Neymar. He always seemed threatening from an attacking point of view. He also kept his Italian opponents at bay defensively during their limited opportunities.
Ivan Rakitic- 7/10
The Croatian international put in a fine performance in the Barcelona's midfield and linked up particularly well with Dani Alves on the right-hand side of the pitch. He always looked ready for that decisive pass, trying to break Roma's offside trap on more than one occasion.
Sergio Busquets- 8/10
Whether it was going forward or working with his defenders, Sergio Busquets did little wrong in this one-sided affair. He delivered some pinpoint long balls for his team-mates, which established Barcelona's attacking intent early in the game. He was also not shy of helping out his defenders at the heart of the defense.
Sergi Roberto- 7/10
After a terrific El Classico over the weekend, the Spaniard again put in a fine performance for his employers. The 23-year-old looked solid in the midfield and cut out any attacking threat from the visitors with absolute ease.
Lionel Messi- 9/10
Starting his first game after an injury, Messi was back in top gear for the Spanish giants netting in a wonderful brace. He also set up Gerard Pique unselfishly for the fourth goal of the game. Messi was keen to help his team-mates out defensively as well when he crept in with a vital tackle later on the game, which ultimately sent him into the referees' book.
Luis Suarez- 9/10
The Uruguay international put in a sublime performance and looked dangerous every time he had the ball at his feet. Not only did he find the back of the net twice, he also picked out his team-mates wonderfully with some marvelous touches on several occasions.
Neymar Jr.- 9/10
The Brazilian surprisingly failed to register a goal to his name in this six-goal rout, but that did not belittle his outstanding performance over the entirety of the match. Neymar constantly threatened the Roma defense with his pace and trickery and had the Italian outfit in sixes and seven on more than one occasion.
With the game done and dusted, he was given a chance to score himself when Barcelona earned a late penalty. But, he delivered a poor penalty from an unusually short run-up that was initially saved by Szczesny but ultimately netted in by Adriano.
Substitutes:
Sergi Samper- 6.5/10
The talented Spaniard from the Barcelona academy came in at the start of the second half to replace Sergio Busquets. He had a sound game as the defensive midfielder during the time he was on the pitch.
Marc Bartra- 6/10
With a busy schedule ahead, Gerard Pique was replaced with the 24-year-old Bartra ten minutes into the second half. With Barcelona continuing to press forward, Bartra was largely uninvolved from a defensive viewpoint but looked comfortable whenever he had the ball.
Adriano- 7/10
The experienced Brazilian came on as a replacement for Sergi Roberto late in the game. After Neymar's penalty was punched away by Szczesny, Adriano pounced on the ball to net in a thunderbolt and secure Barcelona's sixth goal of the match.