Barcelona player ratings vs Porto: Ronald Araujo leads impressive defensive effort as Ferran Torres steps up following Robert Lewandowski injury
The Blaugrana had to battle to secure all three points on Wednesday as they took a giant step towards qualifying for the knockout stages
The biggest takeaway from Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Barcelona and Porto was that Frenkie De Jong is their most crucial cornerstone, and that they lack both tempo and leadership without him.De Jong is just one of a number of Barca stars currently out through injury, and that list was further lengthend in Portugal when Robert Lewandowski limped off in the 34th minute.
The Poland international left with what appeared to be a left leg injury, and was replaced by Ferran Torres. The Spanish international came into the role with fire, however, scoring the lone goal of the match in first-half stoppage-time following a calamitous defensive error from Porto just before the break.
Another VAR controversy came into play midway through the second period when Porto’s Eustaquio appeared to earn a penalty for the home side as his battle with Joao Cancelo seemingly led to a handball from the Barca loanee. Upon VAR review, though, it was deemed that the Canada international handled the ball himself prior – though it looked like his chest and shoulder controlled the ball.
Xavi’s side lacked ambition and composure, racking up eight yellow cards, including two for Gavi, who was sent-off in stoppage time. Despite that, they got the job done and earned all three points.
GOAL rates Barcelona’s players from Estadio Do Dragao…
