Napoli 1-1 Barcelona player ratings: Griezmann cancels out Mertens' historic goal

 

Barcelona have the advantage heading into the second leg after an Antoine Griezmann second half strike cancelled out Dries Mertens' opener, as the Spanish side battled back to a 1-1 draw. All is not lost for Napoli, however, as Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal are both suspended for Barcelona and Gerard Pique is an early injury doubt after twisting his ankle at the San Paolo. Here are the WhoScored player ratings from Tuesday night's contest.

 

Napoli - 6.49

 

David Ospina (6.23 rating) - Napoli's defence ensured David Ospina had a quiet night but he couldn't keep out Barcelona's equaliser, one of only two shots on target from the Spanish side.

 

Giovanni Di Lorenzo (6.31) - Completed two dribbles but had a quiet night at the back, failing to complete a tackle or interception

 

Kostas Manolas (5.90) - Almost had a second career Champions League knockout goal against Barcelona. Completed 93.9% of his passes but didn't manage a tackle, interception or clearance.

 

Nikola Maksimovic (6.55) - Did relatively well in Kalidou Koulibaly's absence with three tackles and interceptions combined and two clearnaces. Also blocked two shots.

 

Mario Rui (6.81) - Showed great tenacity up and down the pitch. No player on display completed more tackles than Rui (5) and the 28-year-old also made as many clearances.

 

Jose Callejon (6.15) - Spurned an opportunity to put the ball on a plate for Piotr Zielinski in the first half and was denied by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in a one-on-one minutes after Barcelona's equaliser.

 

Piotr Zielinski (6.80) - Supplied the assist for Dries Mertens' stunner and created a further two goalscoring chances. Also weighed in with one tackle and one interception.

 

Diego Demme (6.45) - Struggled to impose himself on his Champions League debut for Napoli but did manage three interceptions.

 

Fabian Ruiz (6.64) - Looked more of Barcelona midfielder than those for the Blaugrana at times, with nice passing through the lines and neat touches. The Spaniard completed 93.6% of his passes and made four interceptions.

 

Lorenzo Insigne (6.78) - Didn't quite have the impact in the final third Napoli would have wanted. Tested the Ter Stegen with one attempt and only created one goalscoring opportunity.

 

Dries Mertens (7.77) - Equalled Marik Hamsik's record as Napoli's all-time record goalscorer with a stunning strike in the first half. Night ended early after a nasty challenge from Sergio Busquets

 

Subs: Allan (6.05), Matteo Politano (5.96), Arkadiusz Milik (6.44)

 

 

Barcelona - 6.55

 

Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (6.39 rating) - Was rooted for Napoli's opener but did manage a big save to deny Jose Callejon just moments after Barcelona equalised.

 

Right-back: Nelson Semedo (7.30) - After a relatively frustrating evening, Semedo finally showed a bit of quality to pick out Antoine Griezmann for Barcelona's equaliser in the second half.

 

Centre-back: Gerard Pique (6.61) - Completed 95.8% of his passes and made three clearances but is considered a doubt for the second leg after coming off with an ankle injury in stoppage time

 

Centre-back: Samuel Umtiti (6.53) - A surprise starter ahead of Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti was typically efficient with the ball completing 96.6% of his attempted passes.

 

Left-back: Junior Firpo (6.49) - His heavy touch led to Napoli's opener and Jordi Alba's stand-in offered nothing in attack with no dribbles completed, no attempts on goal and no key passes registered

 

Central midfield: Sergio Busquets (6.85) - Played a wonderful pass in the build up to Barcelona's equaliser and will be a big loss in the return leg after picking up a costly booking

 

Central midfield: Ivan Rakitic (6.26) - Was unsurprsingly hooked after 55 minutes and within 120 seconds later Barcelona were level. Rakitic managed only one tackle and one interception and didn't register a single key pass. His one shot failed to his the target and he didn't complete a single dribble.

 

Central midfield: Frenkie de Jong (6.82) - Completed 93.5% of his attempted passes but didn't stamp his authority on the game. Only one outfielder for Barcelona managed fewer touches than De Jong of those that started the game.

 

Left wing: Arturo Vidal (5.76) - Suspended for the second leg after being sent off for two yellow cards in the same action. Made six tackles and interceptions prior to his dismissal but lost his head and could cost Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

 

Striker: Antoine Griezmann (7.07) - Was anonymous for most of the game, managing just six touches in the first half, but popped up with Barcelona's equaliser to put the Spanish side in pole position to qualify for the next round.

 

Right wing: Lionel Messi (7.47) - Managed seven dribbles but Napoli did well to ensure Messi was forced deep and in areas he couldn't cause too many problems. He only managed one shot on target.  

 

Subs: Arthur (6.11), Clement Lenglet (6.00), Ansu Fati (6.08)

Napoli 1-1 Barcelona player ratings: Griezmann cancels out Mertens' historic goal