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Barcelona thrashed Bayern Munich 4-1 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in the UEFA Champions League group phase on Wednesday, October 23. The result sees the hosts climb to 10th spot in the table, while the visitors are struggling in 23rd place.
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Barcelona made an electric start to the game and took Bayern by surprise as they raced into a 1-0 lead in the first minute. Fermin Lopez provided an assist for Raphinha, who rounded Manuel Neuer before rolling the ball into an open net. The visitors did not budge initially, with Harry Kane's goal being disallowed in the 11th minute, only for the Englishman to score in the 18th to make it 1-1.
However, Barcelona showed poise and class as they regained momentum and scored to make it 2-1 in the 36th minute via former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski. Raphinha then bagged his second of the night on the cusp of half-time to give the hosts some breathing space as they headed into the break after a thrilling first half with a 3-1 lead.
The hosts came out for the second half with similar intent to what they had shown in the first period and scored their fourth goal just 11 minutes after the restart. Raphinha was assisted by Lamine Yamal as the Brazilian completed a stunning hat-trick against Bayern to truly end the contest despite so much time left on the clock.
Both Hansi Flick and Vincent Kompany then proceeded to make a host of changes apiece as they looked to manage the load on their players. Despite Bayern bringing on the likes of Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala, they were unable to get a sniff of goal as Barcelona did ever so well to keep them at bay.
The game slowly meandered towards full-time with the hosts ecstatic with their performance. Bayern, on the other hand, were left to lick their wounds after a damaging defeat away from home. That said, let's take a look at Barca's player ratings.
Disclaimer: The stats were taken from Sofascore at 3:35am and are subject to change in the hours after the match.
Barcelona Player Ratings
Inaki Pena - 6.5/10
Pena was called upon to make just two saves in a rather uneventful outing between the sticks for his team.
Jules Kounde - 7/10
Kounde won four duels, making seven clearances and one interception during the match. He also completed two dribbles past opponents.
Pau Cubarsi - 7/10
The young defender was solid at the back and made three interceptions, two clearances as well as one block.
Inigo Martinez - 7/10
Martinez won two duels, making five clearances, two blocks and one interception in a solid performance for Barcelona.
Alejandro Balde - 6.5/10
Balde seemed a bit off-colour and had an average game which went unnoticed as Barcelona dominated so much in attack.
Marc Casado - 7/10
Casado helped his team take the game to Bayern as he passed the ball with 88% accuracy, including one key pass which was an assist for their third goal.
Fermin Lopez - 7.5/10
Lopez started the game with great energy and provided assists for Barcelona's first two goals. He also won three duels and made one clearance.
Pedri - 7.5/10
Pedri passed the ball with 83% accuracy, including two accurate crosses and one key pass. He completed three dribbles past opponents and also won seven of his eight duels in a solid midfield showing.
Lamine Yamal - 7.5/10
He passed the ball with 84% accuracy, playing two key passes, including an assist for the fourth goal. He also completed a game-high six dribbles and also won 10 duels.
Robert Lewandowski - 7/10
Lewandowski scored Barca's second goal with a deft touch after a lovely dinked pass from Lopez. He also won three duels.
Raphinha - 9.5/10
The Player of the Match for his hat-trick against Bayern, Raphinha was out of the blocks with a first-minute goal. He scored one goal on either side of half-time to complete the feat and guide his team to a memorable win.
Substitutes
Frenkie de Jong - 6.5/10
De Jong replaced Lopez and helped Barcelona navigate their way to full-time as they were already leading 4-1 when he came on.
Dani Olmo - 7/10
Olmo played one key pass and won both his duels in a solid performance for his team off the bench to help them keep Bayern at bay.
Gavi, Ansu Fati & Pau Victor - N/A
The trio played less than 10 minutes apiece in this match and hence do not warrant a rating.
