Crvena Zvezda 2-5 Barcelona Player Ratings as Lewandowski and Raphinha shine in Barca’s emphatic win

Barcelona pulled off yet another masterclass in the Champions League as they defeated Crvena Zvezda 5-2 away in the group stage. The Catalans wasted no time in showcasing their ruthless attacking intent, forcing the Serbians on the back foot. Inigo Martinez fired home a powerful header off Raphinha’s free-kick to provide the breakthrough for the Catalans but it was cancelled out by Silas’ sublime equaliser, giving Red Star Belgrade more confidence.

However, once Robert Lewandowski restored the lead with a close-range on the finish on the rebound just before half-time, the flood gates opened as usual. The Polish striker scored his second of the night by poking home Jules Kounde’s cross after the break, shortly before Raphinha joined the party with a precise finish. Substitute Fermin Lopez scored Barca’s fifth goal while Milson scored a consolation effort in the closing stages. The Catalans have now produced three wins on the trot in UCL, which places them sixth in the table.

Crvena Zvezda Player Ratings vs Barcelona

Goalkeeper

Marko Ilic: 4/10 – Couldn’t do much with the two goals in the first half but the Serbian keeper made a couple of impressive efforts against Lewandowski and Yamal. However, Ilic failed to stop Kounde’s pass for Lewandowski’s strike and remain unmoved for Raphinha’s goal

Defenders

Milan Rodic: 5/10 – Played Inigo Martinez onside and should have done better to prevent him from heading the ball. The left-back also had a tough time dealing with Lamine Yamal but still managed to make a few crucial defensive efforts

Nasser Djiga: 4/10 – Was ball-watching for Lewandowski’s second goal.

Uros Spajic: 6/10 – A colossus in the defence, the Red Star Belgrade skipper was engaged in many duels, recoveries and interceptions to alleviate Barca’s rutthless attacking threat in the 1st half. But could do nothing once the flood gates were opened after the break. Finished with a game-high 12 clearances.

Seol Young-woo: 6/10 – Had a decent game and provided a beautiful ball to set up Milson’s goal

Midfielders

Timi Max Elsnik: 5/10 The Slovenian international failed to make a big impact apart from a few recoveries in the defence

Guelor Kanga: 6/10 – Red Star Belgrade’s busiest player on the pitch and made vital defensive efforts in the middle of the park. Also tried to progress the ball on the breaks.

Rade Krunic: 5/10 – The former AC Milan midfielder failed to rise to the occasion and was hardly seen in the game.

Attackers

Andrija Maksimovic: 5/10 The 17-year-old attacking talent couldn’t withstand the physicality of Jules Kounde.

Silas: 6/10 – Looked the most dangerous player with his relentless pace during counter-attacks. Scored a sublime goal past Inaki Pena.

Cherif Ndiaye: 5/10 – Set up Silas in the first half for the equaliser but was caught offside on a few occasions. Ndiyae fell into Barca’s offside trap many tomes in the second-half.

Substitutes

Milson – 6/10 – Scored a brilliant curler into the top-left corner

Aleksandar Katai – N/A

Dalcio – N/A

Luka Ilic – N/A

Yegor Prutsev: N/A

Manager

Vladan Milojevic: 4/10 – Milojevic must have had a slighest ray of hope after the equaliser but once again failed to hold a ruthless Barca on the long-run. The Red Star Belgrade are the latest to fall prey to Barca’s high-line tactics.

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Barcelona Player Ratings vs Crvena Zvezda

Goalkeeper

Inaki Pena: 5/10 – Was hardly troubled by the Serbian underdogs but could have done better against Silas’ exceptional strike in the 1st half

Defenders

Gerard Martin: 6/10 Martin showed flashes of brilliance with his crossing and progressing but was a vulnerabilty in the defence, He played Silas onside for the equaliser. But became more lively in the second-half, making some vital interventions.

Inigo Martinez: 8/10 – An exceptional display from the Spanish centre-back. Scored a powerful header to give Barca and proved to be robust in the backline, keeping Ndiaye at bay. His cross-field passes were also brilliant.

Pau Cubarsi: 7/10 The 17-year-old once again showcased his excellent passing range with 9 long balls and an accuracy of 95%. Had to be taken off in the second half with a painful knock on his jaw.

Jules Kounde: 8/10 – Was such a physical presence in the defence and bagged three assists of the highest-quality to cap off a great performance.

Midfielders

Marc Casado: 7/10 – An immense performance from the midfield metronome to showcase his significance to Barca with each passing day. Clocked up 96 passes – the highest in the game – with an accuracy of 91, while creating 1 big chance. Defensively, he was relentless, making 5 recoveries and winning 2 tackles.

Frenkie de Jong: 7/10 – The Dutch midfield maestro exhibited an impressive performance to continue to grow in confidence. Clocked up a passing accuracy of 98% while winning 5 duels, 2 tackles and making 2 recoveries.

Pedri: 7/10 – Pedri excelled as an advanced midfielder, pulling strings from the half-space. Created 3 big chances and his work-rate was also noticeable, making 4 recoveries.

Attackers

Lamine Yamal: 7/10 – A goal was the only thing missing from Yamal in an otherwise eye-catching performance. Created a lot of danger down the left flank with his dribbling and killer passes. Provided Raphinha with a defense-splitting through ball in the 1st half but only to be squandered by the Brazilian.

Raphinha: 8/10 – The Brazilian continued his rich vein of form with yet another top-quality performance. Whipped in brilliant cross to set up Martinez’s header and scored a precise goal into the bottom right-corner. Rattled the cross-bar once and created a big chance for Lewandowski.

Robert Lewandowski: 8/10 Fluffed a great opportunity off Yamal’s pass but scored an important goal on the rebound, thanks to his great positioning. squandered a straight-forward opportunity early in the second half but made up for it by poking in a close-range finish.

Substitutes

Fermin Lopez: 7/10 – Hit the ground running with a great goal off Kounde’s pass and also hit the wood work once.

Dani Olmo: 5/10 – Created all sorts of problem in the No.10 position

Sergi Dominguez: N/A

Gavi: N/A

Pau Victor: N/A

Manager

Hansi Flick: 8/10 – Another day, another box-office performance from Barca, thanks to Hansi Flick’s persistence with his risky yet productive tactics. The German manager once again didn’t compromise with his relentless attacking intent, which resulted in the dismantling of the Serbians.

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