Granada 2-2 Barcelona: Player ratings for the Blaugrana as Sergi Roberto's late strike rescues a point | La Liga 2023-24
Barcelona snatched a late point against Granada as the sides played out a 2-2 draw in La Liga on Sunday, October 8. Sergi Roberto scored the equalizer for the defending champions in the 85th minute as the Blaugrana came back from the dead.
Languishing second from bottom in the league table, Granada stunned their mighty visitors with a goal just 21 seconds after kick-off.
Gavi was dispossessed near the halfway line and the Nazaries broke forward quickly with Lucas Boye sliding a through-ball for Bryan Zaragoza to fire home the opener.
Granada doubled their advantage in the 29th minute as Zaragoza got onto the end of Gerard Gumbau's pass, twisted Jules Kounde inside out, before unleashing a brilliant strike.
Barcelona were heading for a surprise defeat, but Lamine Yamal gave them hope after pulling one back in first-half added time.
Xavi's side kept pushing for the equalizer in the second half and missed two good chances. Ferran Torres had a shot saved from close-range and then Ronald Araujo fired wide from a promising position.
However, their persistence paid off towards the end as Roberto got on the end of a cross from Alejandro Balde and made it 2-2 for the visitors.
With 21 points from nine games, Barcelona are third in the La Liga table, three points behind leaders Real Madrid. Here are the player ratings for Barcelona:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 4/10
It was one of those days for the Barcelona custodian where nothing went right. He should've done better for Granada's first goal and was bamboozled for the second one by Zaragoza's amazing footwork.
Joao Cancelo - 7/10
He couldn't exert his influence much going forward, but played a huge role in impeding Granada, making nine tackles and winning a staggering 14 ground duels.
Jules Kounde - 5/10
The Frenchman was made to look like a training cone by Zaragoza for Granada's second goal as he danced his way in and around Kounde before pulling off an audacious outside-of-the-boot finish. The defender was put out of his misery towards the end of the first half after he sustained a knee injury.
Andreas Christensen - 7/10
He distributed the ball superbly and completed a game-high of 116 passes. Defensively, though, the Dane left a lot to be desired.
Alejandro Balde - 7.5/10
The 19-year-old was a constant presence in the attack. He got into some good positions upfront to send in crosses. His pivotal moment came in the closing stages of the game when Balde squared the ball for Roberto to fire home the equalizer.
Fermin Lopez - 7/10
His dribbling skills were eye-catching and he wasn't afraid to fight for the ball. However, Lopez was eclipsed by better players on his La Liga debut.
Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10
Gonzalo Villar passed the ball through him for Lucas Boye to slide a through-ball for Zaragoza to break the deadlock. Besides that, a good shift from the German, who played three key passes in the game, attempted 10 crosses, and completed 101 passes.
Gavi - 6.5/10
The Spaniard got dispossessed in the build-up to Granada's opener, but was otherwise fine. He won nine ground duels and made five tackles.
Lamine Yamal - 8/10
He made a simple finish into an empty net for his first Barcelona goal, while also becoming the youngest-ever scorer in La Liga's history.
Ferran Torres - 5/10
The former Manchester City forward was better at creating than scoring. He played four key passes in the game but mustered just one shot on target all night. Robert Lewandowski was sorely missed.
Joao Felix - 7.5/10
A thorn in Granada's flesh, Felix was always looking for openings in their defense to exploit. He also created Barcelona's first goal.
Substitutes
Ronald Araujo (44' for Kounde) - 6.5/10
A good substitute appearance from Araujo, who stationed himself high up and gave Granda plenty to ponder upon.
Sergi Roberto (61' for Lopez) - 7.5/10
He scored the all-important equalizer for Barcelona in the 85th minute.
Oriol Romeu (76' for Lamal) - 7/10
He didn't have much time, but still turned in a good performance with his aerial dominance and hunger to win back possession.