Real Sociedad 1-1 Barcelona: Player ratings as Riqui Puig nets winning penalty

Penalty preparation
Penalty preparation / CRISTINA QUICLER/Getty Images
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Barcelona go through to the Supercopa de Espana final after beating Real Sociedad 3-2 on penalties, after a 1-1 stalemate, at the Nuevo Arcangel on Wednesday night.

It was Real Socieded who started the better as they had several chances to score in the opening 20, most notably an Aleksander Isak one on one chance saved brilliantly by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

However with just under half an hour gone, Barcelona found their feet and started to see the lion's share of the ball. Martin Braithwaite failed to convert two half chances, before finding Antoine Griezmann who delightfully set up Frenkie de Jong to head home from close range.

The second half started much brighter than the first and, within five minutes of the restart, De Jong handled a Mikel Oyarzabal cross in the area, for which the referee awarded a penalty. Oyarzabal stepped up and converted calmly past Ter Stegen.

Ter Stegen was called into action just four minutes into the first period of extra time, forced into a spectacular save from an Andoni Gorosabel piledriver. La Blaugrana then saw opportunities for Dembele and Griezmann go begging either side of the extra time break, thanks to crucial saves from Merino. Real Sociedad's Adnan Januzaj then had his close range effort brilliantly pushed behind by Ter Stegen, before seeing his 30-yard free kick miraculously tipped onto the post by the German goalkeeper in the final five minutes, taking the match to penalties.

After Ter Stegen saved Real Sociedad's first two penalties, it was eventually substitute Riqui Puig who converted the winning penalty to secure his side's place in the Supercopa final.

Now, to the ratings.


1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GK) - 9/10 - As usual, Ter Stegen made some top class, crucial saves and performed heroics in the shootout as he saved two of Sociedad's five penalties. The German was outstanding on the night.

Oscar Mingueza (RB) - 6/10 - Got beat for pace on more than one occasion, but did well against tough opposition, making four tackles at right-back.

Ronald Araujo (CB) - 7/10 - Made a couple of great recoveries in the first half, keeping Isak at bay. Kept his back line safe in general, making four clearances and winning possession back twice.

Clement Lenglet (CB) - 6/10 - Didn't do all that much in a defensive sense, but stepped out with ball well and found players with ease, ending the match with a pass accuracy of 96%.

Jordi Alba (LB) - 6/10 - Found himself on the ball quite regularly, but couldn't seem to do much with it, making just three crosses in the game.

2. Midfielders

Sergio Busquets did well as a screen to the back four
Sergio Busquets did well as a screen to the back four / Soccrates Images/Getty Images

Sergio Busquets (DM) - 8/10 - Another subtly solid performance from the Barca legend.

Frenkie de Jong (CM) - 6/10 - Did well to convert a not-so-easy header from six yards out on 39 minutes. Didn't fare as well after the break, however, needlessly giving the opposition a penalty on 50 minutes and missing a gilt-edged chance straight after. Also missed Barca's first penalty of the shootout.

Pedri (CM) - 7/10 - Usually makes an impact on games, but maybe missed the presence of Lionel Messi in front of him.

3. Forwards

Antoine Griezmann was influential in Barcelona's forward play
Antoine Griezmann was influential in Barcelona's forward play / Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Ousmane Dembele (RW) - 6/10 - Continues to show his quality in bursts, and was unlucky not to register an assist, making three key passes, but also proved to be wasteful at times too.

Antoine Griezmann (ST) - 8/10 - The Frenchman got his second assist in two games as he teed De Jong up perfectly. Found it tough to assume Messi's role and have the same impact - obviously - but did a solid enough job with his ball distribution, making a few key passes.

Martin Braithwaite (LW) - 6/10 - The Dane had very little service throughout the 90, but did extremely well to find Griezmann in the build up to the opener. Apart from that, struggled to get into the game.

4. Substitutes

Trincao (LW) - 5/10 - Had the longest time on the pitch out of all the substitutes and made the smallest contribution. In his 42 minutes on the pitch, the Portuguese winger made 13 successful passes - and that's it.

Riqui Puig (CM) - 7/10 - As usual, the Spaniard looked bright after his introduction. He finished extra time with a 92% pass accuracy before, crucially, scoring the winning penalty in the shootout - a special moment for the youngster.

Miralem Pjanic (CM) - 6/10

Junior Firpo (RB) - 6/10