Teenager Ilaix Moriba scored his first goal for Barcelona, with Ronald Koeman’s side winning 2-0 at Osasuna on Saturday to reduce the gap between La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid to two points.
Report: The boat reduces the gap at Atletico with victory vs. Health
In just his fifth appearance at the club, 18-year-old Ilaix hit the edge of the box seven minutes from the end after being set up by Lionel Messi. Jordi Alba opened the scoring in the first half, shooting from the left of the box after Messi played.
The boat was also indebted to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who made a series of fine saves while extending his unbeaten run in La Liga to 16 matches.
positives
The graduate of the Ilaix Academy offered the feeling factor, because Barca kept its impressive form in the league. Koeman showed a lot of confidence in him in the last week and threw him with the game suspended in the balance at 1-0, 25 minutes before the end. He didn’t show any nerves when he cut his man before getting a good finish to end the points for Barca at El Sadar, the same field where Ansu Fati scored his first goal for the Catalan club.
The three points felt particularly important in the context of the return in the middle of the week against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semifinal. It would have been easy to sink after that maximum, while it also brought pressure on the leaders of Atletico, who face third place on Sunday in Real Madrid in the Derby.
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Negatives
The score flattered Barca, who needed a few big saves from Ter Stegen to keep them ahead. Another night, he could easily have dropped points. Alba was also brought out late with a shot. The boat will hope to be nothing, given its recent shape.
Manager rating out of 10
7 – Koeman deserves a lot of credit for giving Ilaix a few minutes in the big games.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players entered after 70 minutes receive no rating)
GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 8 – He made some impressive saves. The stops to deny Kike Barja and Ruben Garcia were probably the most important.
DF Clement Lenglet, 7 – Perhaps his best performance in 2021. He fought well against Osasuna attackers and was confident in the ball.
DF Samuel Umtiti, 5 – Reserved for noise in Roberto Torres in a dangerous area, although Lenglet’s step had sold him short. He paused.
DF Oscar Mingueza, 7 – Another mature performance as part of a back 3 in the first half and as one of the two back-ups after the break.
MF Sergio Busquets, 6 – It came out an hour later after another solid display in the middle. It works better with the protection of three central backs.
MF Pedri, 7 – He rarely made a mistake with the ball at his feet. He almost scored, but his shot from 18 meters was too close to Sergio Herrera.
MF Frenkie de Jong, 7 – Again, the Dutch international did not stop running. He fell back when Busquets left to build Barca’s attacks from deeper.
MF Jordi Alba, 8 – He scored the fifth goal of the campaign, matching his biggest total of the 2012-13 season. He is in excellent form in attack, where he benefits from an excellent relationship with Messi, but he also covers well in defense.
MF Sergino Dest, 6 – He entered a good position on the right and beat his mark, but hesitated when he came to the final ball.
FW Antoine Griezmann, 6 – He returned to the side after three games on the bench, but failed to argue for a more regular football.
FW Lionel Messi, 8 – Set both goals and all of Barca’s attacks went through him, although the insistence of teammates to look for him can often be an obstacle.
Substitutes
FW Ousmane Dembele, 6 – He came to the break, but had no advantage in the last third.
MF Ilaix Moriba, 7 – He added fresh energy to the middle of the field on a night he will never forget.
FW Martin Braithwaite, 6 – I worked hard after replacing Griezmann, but he had little luck in and around the area.
MF Riqui Puig, N / R – He replaced Pedri after Ilaix’s late goal.
DF Junior Firpo, N / R – Given the last few minutes on the left.