Barcelona player ratings against Athletic Club: Forwards step up in Saudi Arabia

Barcelona booked their place in Sunday’s Spanish Supercup final, having dismantled Athletic Club at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, with goals from Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez, Roony Bardghji and Raphinha (x2).

Joan Garcia – 6

Looked nervy on a couple of occasions, but on the whole, he had little to do – which he would have taken after a busy performance against Espanyol last weekend.

Jules Kounde – 6.5

Struggled defensively at times, and in attack, he was not as comfortable as he has been when Lamine Yamal has played.

Eric Garcia – 7

Pushed back into defence for this match, and as expected, he slotted seamlessly into his natural role.

Pau Cubarsi  – 7

A professional performance from Cubarsi, although he and Eric will not be happy with some of the chances they allowed Athletic to have.

Alejandro Balde – 7

Good in attack, and he got a much-needed rest after being replaced in the 64th minute.

Frenkie de Jong – 7

Helped control the midfield alongside Pedri, which was the foundation of Barcelona’s strong team performance.

Pedri – 7.5

Simply put, he makes Barcelona tick. He was missed from the start against Espanyol, but he made up for it here.

Roony Bardghji – 7

Barcelona have a very competent backup for Lamine Yamal in Bardghji, and it was another top display from the Swedish winger. His goal, which came about due to an Unai Simon error, was deserved.

Fermin Lopez – 8

Missed a big chance early on, but it did not faze him. He teed up Ferran Torres soon after, before scoring Barcelona’s second goal himself.

Raphinha – 8.5

As expected, he stood up and was counted in the absence of Lamine Yamal from the starting line-up. He set up Fermin’s goal before helping himself to two of his own either side of half time.

Ferran Torres – 6.5

He loves playing Athletic this season. His goal means that it is three in two appearances against Los Leones, as he justified Hansi Flick’s decision to start him over Robert Lewandowski.

Substitutes

Gerard Martin – 6

Got some minutes in his natural left-back position.

Marc Bernal – 6

Looked very tidy at times during his cameo in the second half, but on just as many occasions, he gave away the ball or committed an error.

Marcus Rashford – 6

Tried his best to get on the scoresheet.

Dani Olmo – 6

Helped Barcelona to keep control.

Lamine Yamal – 6

Not risked from the start, but in his limited minutes, he was heavily involved.

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