da premier bet： The Blaugrana had to battle to secure all three points on Wednesday as they took a giant step towards qualifying for the knockout stages
da brwin： 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…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (7/10):
Made saves when needed and commanded his box accordingly.
Joao Cancelo (4/10):
Call it harsh, but Cancelo failed to bring anything to the attacking momentum of the game and should have had a handball call go against him towards the end of the match. VAR saved him from embarrassment!
Jules Kounde (6/10):
Really solid evening defensively, but was caught off-guard late by a goal scored by Porto, that was eventually deemed offside.
Ronald Araujo (8/10):
Produced a brilliant match-saving tackle midway through the second-half and was brilliant all match.
Alejandro Balde (6/10):
Played his role well. Struggled to link up with Felix on the left-flank, though.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):
Played the midfield role well and controlled the tempo of the match.
Oriol Romeu (6/10):
Played his role effectively, but slowed the game down just a tad in the process.
Gavi (4/10):
Much more was expected from the teenager, and he just didn't offer enough going forward to link with the attack. He was sent off for a second yellow card in second-half stoppage-time.
Getty ImagesAttack
Joao Felix (6/10):
Substituted in the 68th minute, was effective in the attack, but didn't provide the final touch needed.
Robert Lewandowski (5/10):
It feels unfair to judge Lewandowski's performance as good or bad, as the Polish talisman was removed 34 minutes in due to injury.
Lamine Yamal (6/10):
Linked well with Torres once he was introduced to the match, but struggled to find the target.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Ferran Torres (7/10):
The Spain international's first-half stoppage-time goal won the match, but he failed to stand out otherwise.
Sergi Roberto (6/10):
Replaced Romeu in the 69th and played out-of-position. Did what was asked, but coasted through to the final-whistle.
Fermin Lopez (6/10):
Brought on in the 69th minute to replace Felix but was rather unnoticeable in the attack.
Marcos Alonso (N/A):
Was a late sub, held the defence together.
Xavi Hernandez (5/10):
The Barcelona boss was without key players before losing Lewandowski, but it was still an unorthodox performance from the Blaugrana. They lacked discipline and momentum throughout the match and were lucky to get away with three points.