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BL
La Liga
Sep 13, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
AB

2-0

Neymar (79', 84')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Bilbao

:Headline: Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Bilbao: ID:176568: from db_amp
Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed as Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in La Liga at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona continued their 100% start to the new La Liga campaign with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou.

Bilbao frustrated the home side for long spells, but Neymar struck two late goals to secure the points for Barca.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during the 90 minutes of action.


BARCELONA

Goal

Claudio Bravo: Spent much of the 90 minutes with his feet up, but did make a smart save to deny Ander Iturraspe in the first period. Continues to impress in the Barcelona goal. (7/10)

Defence

Martin Montoya: Brought into the team in place of the injured Dani Alves and had a fine afternoon. Proved a real threat in the final third and was competent in defensive areas. (7/10)

Jeremy Mathieu: Another strong showing from the Frenchman, who does not look out of place in the Barcelona defence. Strong in the air and composed in possession of the ball. (7/10)

Javier Mascherano: Had a slightly erratic first period and was forced to depart at the interval following a clash with Aritz Aduriz. (6/10)

Jordi Alba: Like Montoya on the opposite side, was always willing to join the attack. Operated mostly as a wide midfielder as Bilbao struggled to threaten down the other end. (7/10)

Midfield

Ivan Rakitic: Continues to keep Xavi out of the XI and was once again impressive this afternoon. Can tackle, pass and has a brilliant engine. Has had a very strong start to the season. (7/10)

Sergio Busquets: Picked up a booking in the second period for a poor challenge on Iker Muniain and was overshadowed by Rakitic in the middle of the park. (6/10)

Andres Iniesta: Always a threat in the final third of the field, with his close control and movement simply too much for the Bilbao defence at times. (7/10)

Attack

Munir El-Haddadi: Had four or five brilliant chances to open the scoring, but could not convert. Continued to take up good positions before being replaced by Neymar in the second period. (7/10)

Lionel Messi: Came alive in the final 12 minutes with two assists for Neymar. Did not have too many chances of his own, but was always dangerous in possession of the ball. (8/10)

Pedro: Had a couple of sights of goal, but did not have much luck in the final third. Will find it increasingly difficult to make Barca's first XI when all of their forwards are available. (6/10)

Substitutes

Gerard Pique: Replaced Mascherano at the interval and looked calm at the back. That said, a clumsy challenge on Muniain late on might have resulted in a penalty. (6/10)

Neymar: Entered as a second-half substitute and proved to be the match-winner with two brilliant finishes late on. Looks to have returned to the Camp Nou a more confident player. (8/10)

Sandro Ramirez: Scored against Villarreal before the international break and again looked likely upon entering the field. His movement opened up space in the latter stages. (7/10)


ATHLETIC BILBAO

Goal

Gorka Iraizoz: Made two standout saves - denying Pedro and then Alba, but could do nothing with either of Barcelona's late goals. Unlucky not to keep a clean sheet this afternoon. (7/10)

Defence

Oscar de Marcos: Provided plenty of width in the first period, but dropped deeper and deeper in the second. Was caught out positionally in the latter stages of the match. (6/10)

Carlos Gurpegi: Might have conceded a first-half penalty for a push on Munir, but the referee was not interested. Proved dominant in the air, but looked clumsy in one-on-one situations. (6/10)

Aymeric Laporte: The pick of his side's defenders. Made a number of strong challenges in the first period and was always prepared to put his foot on the ball. (7/10)

Mikel Balenziaga: Like De Marcos, did his best to offer an option in the Barcelona half, but was always occupied by two attackers down the other end. (6/10)

Midfield

Ander Iturraspe: Had his side's best chance in the first period, but struck his effort straight at Bravo. Made an impression in the middle of the park, but could not seriously influence the match. (7/10)

Mikel Rico: So often deployed as a box-to-box player, but his energy was lacking this afternoon. Lost out in the battle with Barcelona's star-studded midfield. (6/10)

Benat: Made a bright start, but faded as the match progressed. Really needs a strong season to fully kickstart his Bilbao career. (6/10)

Attack

Markel Susaeta: Did his best to press Barcelona's full-backs into a defensive area, but struggled for possession in forward areas of the field. (6/10)

Aritz Aduriz: Was always willing to match Mathieu and Mascherano in a physical sense, but had few opportunities on goal. His only real effort was struck straight at Bravo. (6/10)

Iker Muniain: Easily his side's best attacker. Looked a threat each time that he had possession of the ball, but was too often starved of real service in the final third. (7/10)

Substitutes

Ibai Gomez: Looked bright during his 25 minutes on the field, but struggled in the latter stages as Barcelona took complete control of the ball. (6/10)

Unai Lopez: Teenager is highly rated at Bilbao and showed some nice touches during his time on the field. (6/10)

Borja Viguera: Had little time to make an impact after entering with five minutes remaining. (5/10)


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