Barcelona beat Newcastle United by seven goals, after a difficult first half at Camp Nou.
Joan Garcia – 6.5
He really shouldn’t blame any goal, and some of the saves he had to make were comfortable it must be said. He came off in the last 10 minutes with a calf problem.
Eric Garcia – 5.5
It’s hard to be too harsh, as he was obviously struggling physically. That said, he was struggling with Harvey Barnes as well, and couldn’t keep the ball out of Anthony Elanga’s opener. Released after 22 minutes.
Pau Cubarsi – 7
Both Cubarsi and Gerard Martin were hung out to dry in the first half as Newcastle came in behind the sides. However, it is noted that Anthony Gordon was not one of the problems.
Gerard Martin – 8.5
The runners challenged them well in the box, and played a good ball for Raphinha as he set up Fermin Lopez’s goal. A rare but brilliant contribution by Marc Bernal. Working hard, Martin and Cubarsi are a partnership right now.
Joao Cancelo – 4.5
I had one or two good moments going forward, but it showed completely in Newcastle’s goals. The first one, it’s a tough game to follow, but the second one all Cancelo would sleep on.
Peter – 8
He started to enjoy himself more in the second half as spaces opened up. Not as bad as he was in the first leg, but still Barcelona’s best player in football. Perhaps it was difficult to deal with the Newcastle midfielder in the first period.
Marc Bernal – 7
He also showed his desire to score goals in the first half, he went public without being marked for Barcelona’s second goal. It’s still slow compared to the likes of Sandro Tonali in the first half, but like his teammates, he started to understand how to impose himself in the second half.
Lamine Yamal – 9
A funny classic by Lamine Yamal, who played three or four special passes to set up Raphinha, Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski. He also got the scoresheet, even if he should have put someone in front. He played inside the 10th position often, and two goals came from it.
Fermin Lopez – 8.5
A really solid performance. He didn’t have the pressure he wanted to in the first half, but his running at the back was key to Barcelona’s game in many ways. His finishing was excellent, but the penalty, Raphinha’s first and Lewandowski’s header all came from him.
Raphinha – 9
He opened the scoring for Barcelona with a good run and finish, while his exchange with Lamine Yamal caused havoc for Newcastle. His pressing was good, and his assist to Fermin Lopez was perfect. This was classic Raphinha, who scored five goals.
Raphinha: “Newcastle is a very physical team, if they are organized well they complicate your game. We were calm, we knew we had to control the game. In the first half we lost a lot of balls. The fourth goal came quickly and helped us to be calm.”
– barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 18, 2026
Robert Lewandowski – 7
One of the most confusing ratings of the season. If you take away his header, and his excellent finish, this is probably the lowest rating. He was slow in the first half, his touch was off, he missed two clear chances that Barcelona will not pay for if they go forward. He got a brace though, and the second was a good run again.
What you are holding
Ronald Araujo – 6
Improved as the game went on, but won’t want to watch Newcastle’s second goal come back too often. Finished the game seems to need a crash test. It still looks bad on the right back.
Xavi Espart – 7
As a defender, you don’t want to stand out too much in your first few games. Xavi Espart was neat and tidy, making a few smart mistakes.
Ferran Torres – 6.5
You didn’t have a big positive or negative impact. A couple of good runs, but couldn’t capitalize on it.
Dani Olmo – 7
Some good passes at times, and a few good runs. Without Araujo, the game was in a state of collapse when Olmo entered, but he redeemed himself.
Wojciech Szczesny – N/A
It came in seven minutes, and made a good turn from the pressure.
