Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 Barcelona: Player ratings for the Blaugrana as Danylo Sikan's strike deals a shock defeat | UEFA Champions League 2023-24
Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 loss against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (November 7).
Danylo Sikan struck the only goal of the game in the 40th minute as the Blaugrana's winning start to the competition this season came to an end.
Head coach Xavi had named a strong lineup for the Hamburg trip, spearheaded by Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. Yet, their performance in the first half was rusty.
Shakhtar, who'd been knocking on their door, made them pay for that towards the end of the half when Sikan headed in a cross from Giorgi Gocholeishvili.
Barcelona ramped up their tempo in the second stanza in search of an equalizer, with Xavi making a host of substitution to introduce fresh legs. However, their hosts remained stoic. Lewandowski, a prolific scorer, was starved of possession here, rendering the Blaugrana toothless.
In the 87th minute, Shakhtar appeared to had doubled their advantage with another goal. Newerton blasted a pass from Yaroslav Rakitskyi into the bottom-right corner, but the offside flag was up.
Barcelona were thrown up a lifeline and they threw the kitchen sink at Shakhtar to find the elusive leveler in the dying minutes, but it never came and the side suffered their second loss of the season.
With nine points in four games, the Spanish champions remain at the top of Group H, while Shakhtar remained in third with six, but boosted their progression hopes, as Porto are on six points too.
Here are the player ratings for Barcelona:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6.5/10
The Barcelona custodian had an unexpectedly busy outing in Hamburg against a menacing Shakhtar team, making three saves. However, he had no chance with Sikan's goal as it flew well over his range before finding the net.
Joao Cancelo - 8/10
Barcelona's best player on the night, Cancelo was a real force down the right flank. He made six tackles and won 10 ground duels, while also playing two key passes. The former Manchester City defender made a telling impact at both ends.
Ronald Araujo - 7.5/10
The Uruguayan defender kept everything kosher in defense and was never afraid to put his body on the line with timely tackles. He made five of them, won nine ground duels and completed 95% of his passes.
Andreas Christensen - 7.5/10
Christensen charged out of his line several times to get the ball forward and worked well with Araujo to starve Shakhtar forwards of possession in attacking areas. He completed 105 passes in the game, the most by any visiting player.
Marcos Alonso - 6.5/10
Alonso's positioning wasn't always the best, and his eagerness to drive forward allowed Shakhtar to make the most of the space on the left. Unsurprisingly, Shakhtar's winning goal was created from his side of the pitch.
Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10
Some promising first-touches and good set-piece deliveries. He won six ground duels and completed 95% of his passes.
Oriol Romeu - 6.5/10
He played a key role in circulating the ball with his accurate passing and showed his ball-winning capabilities, winning three ground duels.
Gavi - 6/10
The Spanish youngster struggled to get involved much, was sloppy in possession, and didn't make a single key pass. Not the best performance from the midfield maestro, who is capable of so much more.
Raphinha - 6/10
A total non-factor in Barcelona's attack, the Brazilian failed to offer anything meaningful going forward. He failed to muster a single shot on target or create anything of note.
Robert Lewandowski - 5/10
Probably his worst performance in a Barcelona shirt yet, Lewandowski was a pale shadow of his rip-roaring self as the Pole was kept at arm's length by Shakhtar's stoic defense. He completed just 11 passes all night and didn't have a single shot on target.
Ferran Torres - 6/10
The Spaniard lacked bite in attack and mustered only two shots in the game, both of which were off target. He was put out of his misery at the hour mark.
Substitutes
Pedri (59' for Romeu) - 6.5/10
Pedri was introduced to fire up Barcelona's attack, and he did that to some extent.
Joao Felix (59' for Torres) - 6.5/10
He was eager to make an impact, but his finishing was wayward.
Lamine Yamal (59' for Raphinha) - 6.5/10
The youngster created a good chance in stoppage-time, but it came to nothing. Perhaps, he should've been given more time.
Alejandro Balde (60' for Alonso) - 6/10
Balde conceded a free-kick in the 65th minute after a handball.
Fermin Lopez (81' for Gavi) - N/A
Not enough time to make an impact.