AC Milan fell 3-1 to Barcelona in the Champions League thanks to some vintage Lionel Messi football, but who were the other stand-out performers?
Struggling AC Milan always knew they were in for a tough test away to Barcelona but they fought valiantly for much of the match thanks to Kaka and Riccardo Montolivo, however Lionel Messi proved lethal.
BARCELONA
Victor Valdes 6/10 – Couldn’t do anything for Gerard Pique’s own goal and looked solid for the rest of the game.
Dani Alves 6/10 – Looked tired at times bit provided an attacking threat while maintaining defensive duties.
Gerard Pique 5/10 – Unlucky to score an own goal but it could’ve proved costly.
Javier Mascherano 7/10 – Did a great job breaking up the game, pugnacious and outmuscled the AC Milan midfield.
Adriano Correia 6.5/10 – A good performance if unspectacular, on the whole dealt pretty well with Mario Balotelli.
Xavi 7.5/10 – His usual excellent self on the evening he surpassed Paolo Maldini’s Champions League appearance total with 141. Involved in everything creative.
Sergio Busquets 7/10 – Scored with a header and did a lot of unsung work.
Andres Iniesta 6.5/10 – Helped control the pace of the game. Not one of his best performances but played the back-up role to Xavi.
Alexis Sanchez 6/10 – No lack of effort but not the hero he has been in his last few outings for Barca.
Lionel Messi 8.5/10 (MAN OF THE MATCH) – A penalty, a goal, one cleared off the line and one correctly disallowed for offside. Just business as usual for Messi. Milan had no answer to him.
Neymar 7/10 – Full of life and tricks although possibly tried a little too hard to impress. Won the penalty and looked a constant threat.
AC MILAN
Christian Abbiati 7.5/10 – The evergreen ‘keeper made some fantastic stops. The pick of the crop was a magnificent reflex save to deny Alexis Sanchez from close range.
Ignazio Abate 5.5/10 – Gave away a penalty but it was a harsh decision as there was very little contact with Neymar. Never looked comfortable though.
Cristian Zapata 5/10 – Often made the wrong decisions and left Milan exposed on a few occasions by overcommitting.
Philippe Mexes 5.5/10 – Cleared off the line from Messi and also denied the Argentine ace with an excellent last-ditch tackle in the closing stages but was run ragged at times.
Urby Emanuelson 4/10 – Barely made any impression on the game, virtually anonymous.
Andrea Poli 6/10 – Worked very hard in an unfamiliar position.
Riccardo Montolivo 7.5/10 – Excellent, possibly the pick of Milan’s players, curled a shot just wide and provided some fantastic through balls.
Nigel De Jong 7/10 – Very gutsy performance which added some tenacity to the Milan midfield.
Sulley Muntari 5/10 – Did very little of any note, a bit of a let down.
Kaka 7.5/10 – Maintained his impressive recent form, not afraid to take Barcelona players on and was rewarded by setting up Pique’s own goal. Looked a little tired before coming off late.
Robinho 4.5/10 – Only played the first half but had very little joy. The game just didn’t suit him and he made way for Balotelli.
SUB – Mario Balotelli 6.5/10 – A lot better from the much-maligned marksman. Hadn’t expected to start on the bench but didn’t sulk and gave Barcelona’s defence some problems.
image: © olaszmelo
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