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Juventus took on Barcelona in a heavyweight clash for the top spot in Group G of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Barcelona went into the game three points ahead of Juventus on the night, knowing that any result, barring a loss by a deficit of three goals or more, would confirm them as group leaders heading into the Round of 16.
Both teams have had a rough start to their seasons. Perennial champions Juventus currently sit 4th in Serie A, six points behind AC Milan. Meanwhile, Barcelona have been uncharacteristically poor this season as they sit 9th in La Liga.
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However, both sides have done well in the Champions League this season, leading up to their mouth-watering clash on Matchday 6.
This match-up also had the subplot of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry. Ultimately, it was the Portuguese forward who went home with the spoils as Juventus did away with an awful Barcelona side on the back of goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Weston McKennie.
Juventus controlled the game from the first whistle as they put pressure on a weakened Barcelona backline. Danilo had his shot go just past the post as the Italians began to turn the screw. All their pressure paid off as Araujo gave away a penalty for bringing down Ronaldo in the box after Juan Cuadrado played the forward through.
The penalty was a soft one, but the replays showed that the Uruguayan did indeed foul Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar made no mistake from the spot as he sent Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way.
Juventus found themselves 2-0 up seven minutes later as Cuadrado found himself space on the right flank after a good piece of play by Aaron Ramsey. The Colombian drifted a ball into the box, and Weston McKennie scored a wonderful goal to double his side's lead. The young American, on loan from Schalke, met Cuadrado's cross with an acrobatic volley that went flying into the Barcelona net.
It was all Juventus up to this point, but Leo Messi did try to take matters into his own hands moments later. The Argentine had a shot in anger which was saved by Gianluigi Buffon, who got down well to parry the ball around the post. Messi would test Buffon again later in the half, but the legendary goalkeeper was up to the task as he saved the Argentine's left-footed effort.
Juventus ended a fairly comfortable first half knowing that another goal would put them above Barcelona on the night.
The second half started a bit brighter for Barcelona as Martin Braithwaite replaced Trincao. The Danish striker offered a more creative attacking option to the Catalans as they started to string together different passing sequences. Messi again had a shot that was easily saved by Buffon, but five minutes into the restart, Barcelona had given away another penalty.
Weston McKennie found himself in space in the box again but was marked tightly by Clement Lenglet. The American played a pass to Aaron Ramsey who tried to bend a shot into the far corner with his left foot. His shot was saved well by ter Stegen but there seemed to have been a handball by Lenglet in the build-up. The referee stopped play, checked the pitchside monitor and proceeded to award Juventus with another penalty.
It was a clumsy play by Lenglet, who struggled all evening to deal with the Juventus attack. The Barcelona man misjudged the bouncing ball and threw an arm out to deflect it from McKennie's path. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the spot again and sent the helpless 'keeper the wrong way again to make it 3-0.
Barcelona dominated the rest of the second half but could not create any significant chances to trouble Juventus. Buffon seemed to have Messi's number on the night as the Italian made two more smart saves to keep out the Argentine, and Juventus went on to win the game and top Group G
Without further ado, let's have a look at the Barcelona and Juventus player ratings on the night:
Barcelona player ratings against Juventus
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 5/10
Barcelona shot-stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could do nothing about any of the goals as his defense let him down. Having said that, he didn't do anything particularly spectacular on the night either.
Jordi Alba: 5/10
Jordi Alba had a great battle with Juan Cuadrado throughout his time on the pitch but was subbed off in the second half. Alba was guilty of giving the Colombian too much space on the flank for the second goal.
Clement Lenglet: 3/10
This was a poor display from Clement Lenglet as he was run ragged by the Juventus attack. He was booked in the first half for a silly foul on Alvaro Morata and was lucky to still be on the pitch after his handball gave away a penalty for Juventus' third goal. He made way for Samuel Umtiti ten minutes into the second half.
Ronald Araujo: 4/10
Ronald Araujo faced the same problems as his center-back partner. He fouled Ronaldo in the box to give away the first penalty, although it looked soft. Araujo was subbed off in the last 10 minutes of the game as Barcelona struggled to make their mark on the match.
Sergino Dest: 5/10
Sergino Dest did well against Alex Sandro but was caught out of position at times during the game. Dest also found himself in decent attacking positions, but his final ball was left wanting.
Frenkie de Jong: 6/10
Frenkie de Jong struggled to make an impact against the Juventus midfield in the first half but grew into the game in the second half as Barcelona pushed forward in search of goals.
Miralem Pjanic: 5.5/10
Miralem Pjanic struggled to influence proceedings as he normally does. The Bosnian seemed to struggle with the pace of the game at times as he faced his former side.
Pedri: 4.5/10
Pedri failed to cause the Juventus backline any problems and left Jordi Alba on an island multiple times against the dangerous Cuadrado. It was an overall poor performance from the Spaniard.
Trincao: 4/10
This was a game to forget for Trincao as he barely got into the game in the first half. He was subbed off at half-time for Braithwaite.
Lionel Messi: 6.5/10
Lionel Messi was unsurprisingly Barcelona's best player on the night. If Barcelona were going to get on the scoresheet, it was going to be through the Argentine. However, he was constantly frustrated by a wall of Juventus players every time he touched the ball. Every time he did get past Juventus' defense, he was foiled by the brilliant Buffon in goal.
Antoine Griezmann: 6/10
Antoine Griezmann constantly tried to get Barcelona back into the game but nothing seemed to come off for him. The Frenchman hit the bar with a header in the second half and kept trying to pull the Juventus backline out of position with his movement.
Substitutes
Martin Braithwaite: 5.5/10
Martin Braithwaite came on at the restart and looked lively as Barcelona looked to get back into the game.
Samuel Umtiti: 5/10
Samuel Umtiti came on not long after Juventus' third goal to replace the poor Lenglet. He got booked for a silly tackle on Morata.
Junior Firpo: 5/10
Junior Firpo came on with Umtiti and got forward well. However, he couldn't make a difference as Juventus comfortably dealt with everything Barcelona threw at them. He also got booked for a silly tackle on Morata.
Riqui Puig: 6/10
Riqui Puig came on for Pedri and instantly got into the thick of things. The young Spaniard had some bright moments because of his movement and passing abilities as he linked up well with Messi and Griezmann on the edge of the Juventus box. He looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
Oscar Mingueza: 5/10
Oscar Mingueza replaced Araujo at the end of the game and didn't have enough time to have an effect on proceedings.
Juventus player ratings against Barcelona
Gianluigi Buffon: 8.5/10
Gianluigi Buffon was brilliant for Juventus in goal as he commanded the box well and saved multiple strikes from Leo Messi. The Italian looks like he can play for another decade.
Juan Cuadrado: 8/10
Juan Cuadrado was a constant menace down the right flank. He used his speed and dribbling abilities to cause Barcelona all sorts of problems. He was involved in Juventus' first two goals as he played in Ronaldo for the first and drifted in the cross for the second.
Danilo: 7/10
This was a solid performance from Danilo. The Brazilian stuck to his defensive duties well as he was tasked with marking Griezmann. The defender also got forward and joined the attack as an auxiliary full-back on many occasions.
Leonardo Bonucci: 7.5/10
This was a commanding performance from Leonardo Bonucci as the Italian dealt with everything Barcelona could muster. The Juventus captain marshalled his defense to a clean sheet against one of the world's best teams.
Matthijs De Ligt: 7/10
Matthijs De Ligt put in a strong performance as he played on the left side of the three-man defense. The young Dutchman did well to thwart the Barcelona attack, and his distribution out from the back was good as well.
Alex Sandro: 6.5/10
The Brazilian fullback looked a little rusty after having a torrid time because of injuries this season. Alex Sandro stuck to his task well, having to mark Messi on many occasions and having to provide width to Juventus' attack.
Weston McKennie: 8/10
The young American had an all-action performance in midfield as he got forward at every opportunity. Weston McKennie was full of running throughout the game, and that paid off as he scored a breathtaking volley for Juventus' second on the night.
Arthur: 7/10
Arthur put in a shift against his former side as he played in a deeper role against Barcelona. The Brazilian helped Juventus win the midfield battle as he fought tooth and nail for every ball against a talented Barcelona midfield.
Aaron Ramsey: 8/10
Aaron Ramsey put in a great performance as he played in his preferred No.10 role for Juventus. The Welshman ran things from midfield in a dynamic performance as Barcelona couldn't do anything to stop him.
Alvaro Morata: 6.5/10
Alvaro Morata provided a great foil for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Spaniard worked hard to keep the Barcelona defenders busy all night. He had a header go just over the bar as Juventus relied on his hold-up play all night.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 8.5/10
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't have a spectacular performance against Barcelona. The forward was often frustrated by Barcelona's backline, but that didn't stop him from leaving his mark on the game.
Ronaldo made a good run into the Barcelona box, only to get brought down by the defender for the first penalty, which he dispatched easily. He was as clinical with his second penalty as well. Difference maker.
Substitutes
Adrien Rabiot: 6/10
Adrien Rabiot came on for Ramsey in the 70th minute and fit seamlessly into Juventus' midfield. He didn't do anything wrong in the time that he had on the field.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 6/10
Rodrigo Bentancur came on with Rabiot as he replaced Arthur. He picked up where the Brazilian left off and did well defensively in the center of the park.
Paulo Dybala: 5/10
Paulo Dybala replaced Morata in the 85th minute. He did not have enough time to make an impact on the game.
Federico Bernardeschi: 5/10
Federico Bernardeschi replaced Cuadrado in the 85th minute. He did not have enough time to make an impact on the game.
Federico Chiesa: 5/10
Federico Chiesa replaced Ronaldo in the 90th minute. He did not have enough time to make an impact on the game.
