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Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League pitted Barcelona against Ligue 1 side Brest at home as the Catalans aimed to move further up the table after their strong start to the season.
Their opponents, unbeaten in the competition before the game at Montjuic, offered little real resistance and allowed Hansi Flick’s side to control the proceedings.
The Blaugrana promptly took the lead just ten minutes into the game with Robert Lewandowski winning and scoring a penalty for the team.
In the period that followed, the Catalans earned chances galore but simply could not find the back of the net.
Dani Olmo eventually scored the team’s second goal with a wonderful finish in tight space, assuring the three points and providing a much-needed cushion.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Barcelona 1-0 Brest.
Inaki Pena: 7
The goalkeeper had a very silent first half as Brest barely made any goal-ward advances. Was calm with his runs out of the box and neat with his distribution.
The second half was relatively calm as well with the opponent never really threatening on goal.
Gerard Martin: 7
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
A more calm performance from the La Masia star compared to his performance at the weekend as he was under much less pressure defensively.
Struggled with the end product in attack and found his crosses mistimed
Racked up an assist for Dani Olmo’s goal in the 65th minute with a simple pass.
Inigo Martinez: 7.5
The veteran was clean with his defensive contributions and recorded four clearances and as many tackles at Montjuic on a night where his defensive line was not tested as much.
Pau Cubarsi: 7.5
Cubarsi was once again phenomenal in defence, timing his challenges to perfection and slick with his distribution. Did well to cover even out of his position on Brest’s rare counters.
Jules Kounde: 6.5
An improved performance from the weekend but still far from his best, Kounde did decently in defence but did not pull up in his best-attacking shape.
The Frenchman was not fluid in his buildup play and not completely accurate with his crosses but did show some good sequences of play with Raphinha.
Marc Casado: 8.5
The young defensive midfielder was once again smooth in the middle of the park, winning back possession promptly and running the midfield with his distribution. Constantly looked for forward passes and served as a focal point for all of the team’s buildup play.
Pedri: 9
Shifting back to the double-pivot role, Pedri once again showed why he is better placed deeper and ran the show from his deep-seated role.
Orchestrated the play, made the right movements and was always available as a passing outlet during the buildup.
Delivered a stunning ball into Lewandowski’s path to help him win the opening penalty and even created big chances for others in the first half.
Dani Olmo: 8.5
Dani Olmo celebrating his goal vs Brest. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Olmo played a more central role against Brest than he did at the weekend and the impact of shifting him centrally was conspicuous as he showed up in a more confident and involved presence on the field.
The La Masia graduate, however, was still not completely on song as he did not always find the right accurate defence-splitting passes that he does with ease when at his best.
Scored the team’s second goal with great finesse, taking the ball away from the defender and slotting it past the goalkeeper in a matter of seconds.
Fermin Lopez: 7.5
The youngster did a good job playing on the left flank in a makeshift role, finding the right runs to get in behind the defence and drifting centrally in attack.
His eye for forward runs saw him earn plenty of opportunities to score, the biggest of which was a header late in the opening period.
Could have had a hattrick of his own on another night.
Raphinha: 9.5
The Brazilian was Barcelona’s best player in attack, starting on the right wing and drifting centrally to orchestrate the attacking buildup play.
Was sensational with his dribbles, runs into space and ability to break the lines with precise forward passes.
Robert Lewandowski: 9
The Polish striker joined elite company on the night, becoming only the third player after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in UEFA Champions League history to reach the 100-goal mark.
He hit the special milestone converting a penalty early in the game after winning it himself.
Had a relatively silent game after his opening goal, not creating too many chances for himself to score a second.
Scored another goal during stoppage time, completing a brilliant performance.
