Raphinha 9.0, Yamal 8.5 | Barcelona 2-0 Real Sociedad: Player ratings | OneFootball

Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images

An intense and competitive contest between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad ends in a 2-0 victory for La Blaugrana. Barça needed a win desperately here, and that is exactly what Xavi’s men ended up delivering. With this crucial triumph, Barcelona now regain the second spot in the La Liga standings.

Courtesy of goals by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, Barcelona ended up winning over Imanol Alguacil’s formidable La Real side with a two-goal cushion. This victory not only provides three important points to the team, but also provides some much-needed confidence and momentum.

Here are the player ratings for the Barcelona players.

Player Ratings:

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 7.5

The German goalkeeper was called into action on a fair few occasions near the end of the game. Fortunately for Barcelona, their captain and number one between the sticks showed up and made sure that La Blaugrana sustained their clean sheet.

Joao Cancelo: 6.5

The Portuguese fullback had a more reserved game than usual. Perhaps as a result of the recent criticism he has received for not valuing his defensive duties too much, Joao Cancelo was much more careful in this game about when to push forward and when not to.

Inigo Martinez: 7.0

Coming into the team instead of Ronald Araujo would have brought on some level of pressure towards Inigo Martinez, but the veteran defender handled it quite well. His distribution was solid, but his defensive leadership was worth noting as well.

Pau Cubarsi: 6.5

Was solid for much of the game, and his passing was as commendable as ever. However, unlike his senior partner, Pau Cubarsi’s concentration showed its flaws on a few occasions. Moreover, Barcelona almost conceded as a result of that lapse of concentration and judgment and was saved mainly by Real Sociedad’s own poor conversion.

Jules Kounde: 7.5

The French defender once again put on quite the display on the right flank. Well-timed overlapping runs, good linkup play with Lamine Yamal, and holding his own whenever he was faced by the Real Sociedad forwards, Jules Kounde had a really solid outing.

Andreas Christensen: 7.0

The Danish star was once again a strong presence in the middle of the field for Barcelona. His composure and positioning helped Barça maintain a lot more control when in possession, and opened up other passing outlets for his teammates as well.

Pedri: 7.5

Immaculate with his passes, the Spanish youngster seemed calculated with every single maneuver he pulled off. Statistics will not show just how important he was in terms of the distribution and circulation of the ball in the heart of the field, but a strong performance from Pedri really helped Barcelona out.

Ilkay Gundogan: 8.0

Always a very versatile player, and someone who can always provide utility no matter the situation, Ilkay Gundogan continues to provide clinical final passes for his Barcelona teammates. It was his well-timed pass to Lamine Yamal that ended up giving the German veteran his assist and gave the Spanish winger his goal.

Raphinha: 9.0

While Raphinha was constantly looking to thwart the Real Sociedad defense with his powerful strikers and runs, the Brazilian winger’s contributions defensively can not be ignored.

Throughout the game, many crucial recoveries and successful tackles came as a result of the winger tracking back. He also finally got his goal after a great 90 minutes or so, smashing a late penalty right into the bottom corner with Sociedad’s goalkeeper being left with no chance.

Robert Lewandowski: 8.0

It was thanks to the ingenuity and technique of the Polish striker that Barcelona managed to score their first goal. Even holistically speaking, this game has been one of the Pole’s better displays in recent times.

Lamine Yamal: 8.5

Words seem to now be meaningless when it comes to describing the sheer talent and quality of Lamine Yamal. Constantly thwarting the Real Sociedad defense with his dribbling, touches, and quick passes, the 16-year-old Barcelona wonderkid was also ultimately the hero who ended up opening the scoring for Barça.

Sergi Roberto: N/A

Not enough influence on the game to warrant a rating.

Fermin Lopez: 6.5

His intensity was key in forcing Real Sociedad to make mistakes, and it ended up providing Barcelona some very good chances that they could look to take advantage of.

Ferran Torres: 6.0

Right after his arrival into the game, Ferran Torres could have doubled Barça’s lead. The Spanish forward spelled danger for La Real every time he got near the ball.