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FC Barcelona hosted Real Sociedad in the final game of the season. Though the match was inconsequential, yet it was a historic one. Spanish football legends, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Prieto, bade goodbye to their respective clubs and La Liga.
Barcelona played a very fluidic first half albeit with little penetration. They dominated possession and never let Sociedad have a sniff at their goal. The first half was a scoreless affair.
The second half was a similar affair. It was a moment of individual brilliance from Phillipe Coutinho that led to a Barcelona goal. However, thereon, both teams failed to have any say in the final scoreline.
Let's take a look at how the players fared for their respective teams:
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Real Sociedad
Miguel Moya: 6.5/10
Moya was a solid presence at the back. He was called into action quite often and did well on all occasions. He made excellent stops throughout the match to keep his team in the game.
Alberto de la Bella: 5.5/10
This was not a match he would like to remember as he was beaten quite often by Semedo. Additionally, he was also disappointing in attack.
Diego Llorente: 7.5/10
A solid performance for the centre-back, he kept Suarez well in check for the entire duration of the match. Apart from that, he played the ball well out of his defence.
Raul Navas: 6.5/10
Like his centre-back partner, Navas too gave a solid performance at the heart of La Real’s defence. He was shaky at the back sometimes, especially when isolated one on one against an attacker, but as a whole, he did well.
Aritz Elustondo: 5/10
The full-back had a decent outing and defended reasonably well barring a few nervy moments here and there, especially when Jordi Alba overlapped. He stayed narrow and didn't really give much in attack.
David Zurutuza: 7/10
This was not a flashy performance for the Spanish midfielder, however, it was an effective one. He cut out passing channels of Barcelona’s midfielders quite a few times and used the ball efficiently.
Asier Illaramendi: 6.5/10
Former, Real Madrid player, Illarramendi had a decent game. Though he was not much influential in the second half, he came out on top in the midfield battle against Barca’s midfield before the restart. His distribution was efficient if not eye-catching.
Adnan Januzaj: 6/10
Januzaj was probably La Real's best attacker in the first half. However, the second half saw him fade away before being replaced due to an unfortunate injury.
Juanmi: 6.5/10
Though he started well, he faded as the match wore on. He did not trouble Semedo much, thus letting the right back’s day easy.
Oyarzabal: 5.5/10
Oyarzabal looked sharp in possession and enjoyed the ball at his feet. However, he just could not deliver the end product. He did win quite a turnovers high up the field, albeit in not so dangerous areas, which Real Sociedad could not capitalize on.
Willian Jose: 7.5/10
He was unable to unleash any troubling shots on goal to continue his goal-scoring form. He tried to link midfield and attack a couple of times but nothing fruitful came off.
Substitutes
Alvaro Odriozola: 4/10
His introduction did add a spark to Sociedad's attack. He was always available for a pass and often made the right decisions with it.
Sergio Canales: 5/10
Oyarzabal replaced Januzaj but could not affect the game much.
Xabi Prieto: N/A
This was his last match for La Real. Very late substitution did not have time to affect the game.
Barcelona
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen: 6.5/10
He was not tested much, except for a few shots that were aimed directly at him. He commanded his area well and in general looked calm under pressure and distributed the ball accurately and sensibly.
Nelson Semedo: 8/10
The Portuguese right-back was solid in defence and ever willing to join the attack whenever called upon. His passing was crisp and he made a few interesting runs on the right flank for Barcelona.
Gerard Pique: 8/10
Pique had a great game as he dominated and won everything that came his way in the air. He won headers, made blocks and clearances and was a calm head in the heart of the Barcelona defence. He marshalled Willian Jose and company expertly and never allowed him even an inch of space.
Yerry Mina: 7/10
The Colombian put in a good performance as he was constantly in the way of Juanmi and company, keeping them at bay for the majority of the game. He made a string of important interceptions and tackles throughout the game. He needs to improve his ball playing skills though, a lot.
Jordi Alba: 7/10
Alba put in a good shift at the left back position for the Blaugrana. He was solid enough in defence and was always available for a pass on Baca's left flank.
Philipe Coutinho: 7.5/10
The Brazillian scored another long-ranger tonight, a common sight this season. Though he was a bit silent towards the end of the first half, he was absolutely unplayable in the second half.
Sergio Busquets: 8/10
Another typical Busquets performance. He shielded the back four, broke up play and played the role of a deep-lying playmaker.
Ivan Rakitic: 7.5/10
The Croatian International was influential throughout the game. He broke plays and started attacks from his own half. This was a good commanding display from him in the middle of the park.
Iniesta: 8/10
The World Cup winner looked sharp and dictated things for Barcelona from the midfield. His turns and touches were delightful to watch and suggested that he may have a few years worth of top-level football in his tank.
Luis Suarez: 6/10
Luis Suarez looked dangerous with the ball but his finishing radar was quite off. He was involved in the build-ups and looked sharp. He often dropped deep to help his midfield and combined well with his teams mates.
Ousmane Dembele: 8/10
He started on the right-hand side of Barcelona's front three and combined well with Nelson Semedo. He looked sharp on occasion and had a great first half. He had to be taken off in the second half due to a slight knock on his ankle.
Substitutes
Denis Suarez: 6.5/10
This was a decent game from the resurgent midfielder. He did not do much of note but kept things tidy and defended well with the team when required.
Lionel Messi: 7/10
Once he came on the pitch, Barcelona took total control of the game. However, for all his efforts, Barcelona could not break Las Palmas' resolve.
Paco Alcacer: N/A
Late substitution, did not have time to affect the game.
