Las Palmas 1-1 Barcelona: Player Ratings
FC Barcelona travelled to Canary Islands with an eye on the Sunday fixture against Atletico Madrid.
Las Palmas, who are currently embroiled in the relegation dogfight, put up a brave show and took one crucial point from the encounter with the Catalan side. The first half of the match saw FC Barcelona take the lead courtesy a fine freekick by Lionel Messi.
The second half started on a frantic note. Las Palmas were awarded a controversial penalty, which they did convert to equalize. Thereon, Barca huffed and puffed for another goal but to no avail. The match ended on an even note.
Without further ado, let's take a look at how the players rated for the two sides:
Las Palmas
Leandro Chichizola: 7.5/10
Chichizola was a solid presence at the back. He was called into action quite often and did well on all occasions. He made excellent stops throughout the match to keep his team in the game.
Matias Agiurregaray: 9/10
The full-back had a pretty solid game for his team. He did not allow anyone on his inside, neither did he allow Digne to flourish on the overlap. While attacking, he was among the chief culprits who troubled Barcelona with some deft touches and neat plays. He won his team the penalty.
Alejandro Galvez: 7.5/10
Galvez 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 Las Palmas in the game.
Ximo Navarro: 8/10
The centre-back, like his defensive partners, was always alert to the dangers Barcelona players posed to his goal and was ever-ready to deal with them. He never gave an inch of space to anyone in and around the penalty box.
Dani Castellano: 7/10
The full-back had a decent outing and defended reasonably well barring the opening few minutes. He stayed narrow and didn't really give much in attack.
Oghenekaro Etebo: 7/10
Etebo had a good game. Though he was not very influential in the second half, he came out on top in the midfield battle against Barca’s midfield during the initial 45 minutes. His distribution was efficient if not eye-catching.
Vicente Gomez: 8/10
The defensive midfielder was quite combative in the middle of the park. He screened his defence well and never did shy away from a tackle. He was the glue that held his team while attacking.
Alen Halilovic: 5.5/10
Halilovic 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.
Tana: 7/10
Playing in the hole behind the striker, Tana was a constant thorn for Barcelona's defence. His linkup play with his team's attackers was good. However, like his teammates, he too carried out his defensive duties quite well in the second half.
Jairo Samperio: 6/10
Playing on the left side for Las Palmas' attack, he could not muster up much of a challenge for Sergi Roberto. He was slow to react and was off the frequency on which his teammates played.
Jonathan Calleri: 7/10
He was crafty in possession, kept the ball in tight spaces and brought the much-needed urgency into Las Palmas' game. He scored courtesy of a fine penalty into the top corner.
Substitutes
Alberto Aquilani: 6/10
He was brought on for Vicente Gomez with twenty minutes left to play. With an important role to play, he continued Gomez's good work in the middle of the park as he closed down spaces behind and in front of him with pace.
Michel Macedo: 5/10
Coming on in the 76th minute, Macedo did not impact the game much but did the defensive job aptly.
David Garcia: N/A
Garcia came on in the 86th minute and had no time to affect the game.