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Barcelona logo
Champions League | Quarter-Finals
Apr 21, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
PSG logo

2-0

Neymar (14', 34')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-0 Paris Saint-Germain

Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during Barcelona's 2-0 victory over PSG in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Barcelona booked their place in the last four of the Champions League courtesy of a 5-1 aggregate victory over Paris Saint-Germain, winning 2-0 in the second leg at Camp Nou this evening.

Neymar got both goals on the night, first rounding the keeper following a fine run from Andres Iniesta before doubling his personal tally with an unmarked header a little over 10 minutes before half time.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who stood out during an impressive European performance from the Spanish giants.


Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (Up) celebrates with his teammate Barcelona's Brazilian defender Dani Alves after scoring during the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Ger© Getty Images

BARCELONA

Goal

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: Was again a spectator for much of the evening, only having second-half shots from Ibrahimovic and Lavezzi to deal with. His clean sheet never looked in much danger. (6/10)

Defence

Dani Alves: A constant attacking threat down the right. Played like he did in his prime and provided the assist for the second goal with a pinpoint left-footed cross. (8/10)

Gerard Pique: Kept the dangerous duo of Ibrahimovic and Cavani quiet for the vast majority of the match. There were a couple of nervy moments, but on the whole it was a solid performance. (7/10)

Javier Mascherano: Made one or two important interceptions to limit the threat posed to Ter Stegen's goal. Did have one poor clearance that led to a golden chance for Verratti, though. (7/10)

Jordi Alba: Not quite as influential as Alves but still didn't need a second invitation to get forward. Never neglected his defensive duties either. (7/10)

Midfield

Sergio Busquets: Afforded his defence some good protection and broke up attack after attack as PSG failed to get any sort of momentum going, particularly in the first half. (7/10)

Ivan Rakitic: Helped Barcelona to control the middle of the park, keeping possession ticking over and preventing the visitors from getting hold of the ball. (7/10)

Andres Iniesta: Majestic 45-minute performance in which he set up the opening goal with a brilliant run that had all the hallmarks of Iniesta at his very best. Was on course to be man of the match, but was unfortunately taken off at half time. (8/10)

Attack

Lionel Messi: A subdued performance, but always gave the sense that he could race through the gears if called upon. His teammates did the business tonight, with Messi not required to be at his best for the comfortable win. (6/10)

Luis Suarez: A busy performance as ever, creating space for his teammates with his tireless running and bringing them into play with his link-up. Didn't get many openings himself, but played an important part. (7/10)

Neymar: The man of the match. Was full of tricks and flicks, but had the substance to back it up with two very well-taken goals. He now has 30 for the season. (9/10)

Substitutes

Xavi: Replaced Iniesta at half time and did his usual job of dictating the tempo of the match and ensuring that Barca never lost control. (7/10)

Sergi Roberto: Came on 10 minutes into the second half and brought renewed energy to midfield without having a huge impact on proceedings. (6/10)

Pedro: Not too involved during his cameo, with the exception of one piece of link-up play with Messi. As talented as he is, he just isn't Suarez. (6/10)


Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (L) scores a goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on April 21, 2015© Getty Images

PSG

Goal

Salvatore Sirigu: Not much he could have done about either goal, being rounded for the first and left exposed by his defence for the second. (5/10)

Defence

Gregory van der Wiel: Really struggled up against an in-form Neymar in the first half especially. Improved after the break, but it was a difficult evening. (5/10)

Marquinhos: Luiz may get a certain degree of blame for both goals, but Marquinhos was nowhere to be seen for either. (5/10)

David Luiz: Certainly at fault for the second goal, but the first was more about the quality of the pass than his defending. Redeemed himself in the second half with a fine display up against Messi, making a number of vital interceptions and tackles. (6/10)

Maxwell: Coped fairly well with Messi all things considered, but struggled when Alves came up to join him, which was certainly not a rare occurrence. Failed to stop the cross for the second goal. (5/10)

Midfield

Yohan Cabaye: Outclassed by Iniesta in the first half and struggled to get into the game himself before being taken off shortly after the hour mark. (5/10)

Marco Verratti: Spurned a glorious chance on the edge of the box in the second half, but he carried out his primary job well under difficult circumstances. Provided bite in midfield and broke up play as best he could, but came up against a Barcelona in irresistible form in the first half. (6/10)

Blaise Matuidi: More involved than Cabaye but still struggled to have a meaningful influence on the game. Could do nothing to prevent his side losing the midfield battle. (5/10)

Javier Pastore: Can be hit-and-miss, and today he was miss. He was heavily involved and at least tried to get things going, but he gave the ball away so many times against a Barcelona side who don't give it back cheaply. (4/10)

Attack

Edinson Cavani: Nowhere near as involved as he needed to be if PSG were to pull off a remarkable comeback. Just couldn't get himself into the game at all. (5/10)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Tested Ter Stegen with an effort in the second half, but probably should have played Pastore in instead. A limp performance against his former club and looked a shadow of the world-class player his side needed tonight. (4/10)

Substitutes

Lucas Moura: Made a big difference having come on in the 66th minute, showing pace and direct running to trouble the Barcelona defence. Did fire his one shot well over when he should have done better, though. (7/10)

Ezequiel Lavezzi: Offered a little more attacking threat but only had 10 minutes on the field and couldn't do anything substantial in that time. (6/10)

Adrien Rabiot: Also only had a 10-minute cameo and barely got a kick of the ball during his time on the field. (6/10)


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Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (Up) celebrates with his teammate Barcelona's Brazilian defender Dani Alves after scoring during the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Ger
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