FC Barcelona are on their way to the Copa del Rey semifinals after defeating Granada, 5-3, in extra time during the quarterfinal on Wednesday. Antoine Griezmann spearheaded a thrilling comeback for the Catalonians and two scored goals for the visitors, who overcame a two-goal deficit after 88 minutes played.
But how did each player perform in this one? Here are our player ratings for the match for key players during the match and the club managers. All ratings are out of 10, and the higher the number the better. A zero would be a first-minute red card. A 10 would be like a dominant hat trick.
Barcelona ratings
Lionel Messi (FWD): Was instrumental in establishing Barcelona's attack during the early parts of regulation. The Argentinian captain was strong in possession, attack, and on set-piece attempts despite Barcelona not finding the breakthrough until later in the match. Was heavily marked throughout but still did well to generate the attack and stay active in dangerous spaces throughout, with the payoff finally coming in the 88th minute as he assisted Antoine Griezmann for the breakthrough goal. Rating: 8
Antoine Griezmann (FWD): The French international's form has been in top shape for Barcelona as of late and it continued throughout the quarterfinal against Granada. Linked up well with Messi as he tried to penetrate through Granada's back line. Remained increasingly active on and off the ball, especially during the winding minutes as Barcelona hit a window of urgency down two goals late in the game. His relentless movement caused his defenders to lose the mark on each of his two goals, and Griezmann was able to provide two assists as well. Rating: 10
Samuel Umtiti (DEF): Bad day at the office for the French defender. Barcelona's lack of options on the backline has seen Umtiti's return to Ronald Koeman's lineups, but center back struggled during the quarterfinal. He was responsible for two of Granada's goals, playing distracted at times, with lax passing to go along with lack of energy. Rating: 5
Ronald Koeman (Manager): A rough first half meant eventual adjustments, and the Dutch manager ultimately made them during the second half after Barcelona's failure to capitalize on their possession. His best moves on the day were slotting in Jordi Alba at left back, and subbing out Umtiti just past the hour mark in favor of more attacking. Rating: 7
Granada ratings
Aaron Escandell (GK): An exceptional performance in the match from the 25-year-old. He kept a dominant Barcelona attack at bay for the first 45. His impressive effort continued well into the second half, but his positioning ultimately betrayed him leading to a late goal to pull Barcelona within one. As the match headed into extra time, Escandell came up with another big save, smothering the ball early in the first fifteen minutes of extra time, but the wheels came completely off during the second period in extra time as Barcelona scored two additional goals down the stretch. It's a tough defeat to swallow after a near perfect performance, a strong rating for an 88-minute shift. Rating: 8
Yan Eteki (MID): Largely tasked with an enforcer role throughout the match, he earned a yellow for an early foul on Messi during the first half. The midfielder did well to not pick up another in the second half though, and disrupted play, picking out pockets of space to play into and which pressure to absorb. Covered a lot of ground during the match as Granada went up 2-0 early in the second half. However as the match went into extra time, Eteki's tank ran out, and the impact it had during regulation showed as overtime progressed. He was subbed out during stoppage time of first extra time to make way for defender Nehuén Pérez, and without his presence in the mid to disrupt things, Barca's attack only got stronger as they went for the win. Rating: 7
Angel Montoro (MID): Matched up well along side Eteki to help try and sustain the dominating attack from Barcelona. Despite the overall lack of possession from Granada, Montoro was active on the ball when Granada tried to counter. He picked out Barca's attack to set up the second goal early in the second half when he played the ball up filed to Roberto Soldado, catching Barcelona's defense high and out of position. Rating: 7
Diego Martínez (Manager): Made several questionable substitutions throughout the match for Granada after going up a goal in the 33rd minute. Subbed out first-half goal scorer Kenedy to start the second half for Darwin Machis, who had little impact on the game going forward. Also replaced veteran right back Victor Diaz after a good shift on the flank, making way for Dimitri Foulquier who ultimately lost his mark during Barcelona's stoppage-time equalizer. Rating: 6
