Real Madrid vs Barcelona Player Ratings

Real Madrid

Iker Casillas - 6.5

Unfortunate night for the Real skipper. Didn't do much wrong all night, but twice found himself hapless to stop a Barcelona goal.

Alvaro Arbeloa - 6.5

Had an enthralling duel with Pedro in the first-half, and although at times his methods at stopping his opponent bordered on illegal, he did his job reasonably well.

Sergio Ramos - 7

One of Real's better players, despite not playing in his favoured position at right-back. Unbeatable in the air all night, the only downside to his game was a cynical foul that earned him a booking, meaning he will now miss the second leg.

Raul Albiol - 6.5

Defended well in the first half, but went to sleep in the second period. Should have got to Afellay's cross before Messi did, and then failed to get anywhere close to the Argentine for the second.

Marcelo - 6

Poor game from the Brazilian. Failed to offer Real any support in attack, and was clearly at fault for Barca's opener, when he failed to curtail Afellay's advance down the right.

Pepe - 6

Was actually one of the best performers on the park until his dismissal on the hour mark. Showed he is more than capable of playing in midfield but once again, failed to control his challenges. One wonders how much contact he actually made with Dani Alves, but there is no denying it was a very dangerous challenge.

Lassana Diarra - 5

A surprising selection to start by coach Jose Mourinho. Diarra was unable to hide his lack of match practice, giving the ball away on countless occasions, as well as putting in a number of clumsy challenges.

Xabi Alonso - 5.5

It was clear that in the midfield battle between him and Xavi, Alonso came out second best. Struggled to influence the game, and his set-piece deliveries left much to be desired.

Mesut Ozil (off 45') - 4

The German playmaker may have enjoyed a stunning debut season at Real, but this is one game he will want to forget quickly. Ozil, quite literally, did not touch the ball in the first-half, and rightfully made way for Emmanuel Adebayor at the break.

Angel Di Maria - 7

Never stopped trying for Real. Was a constant thorn down the left flank and gave Dani Alves problems throughout.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 7

On a night where the two best players in the world were on display at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo was once again upstaged by the brilliance of Lionel Messi. Tested Valdes with a stunning left-footed drive in the first half but his other attempts at goal were poor. Still, he was the only Real player that looked likely to find the back of the net.

Subs

Emmanuel Adebayor (on 45') - 5

Was brought on to offer some height to the Real attack, but apart from flicking on a few balls aimlessly, the only other notable contribution that Adebayor made was making a ridiculous number of fouls.

Barcelona

Victor Valdes - 7.5

You have to sympathise with the Barca keeper. Had he been born in a different country, he would undoubtedly be the national team first choice custodian. Instead, he constantly finds himself playing second fiddle to Iker Casillas for Spain, and at times even being third choice behind Pepe Reina. Handled high balls well all night long, and was excellent in his distribution.

Dani Alves - 7.5

If not for anything else, Alves deserves a high rating for providing the moment that changed the game: when Pepe's tackle on him saw Real reduced to ten men. Otherwise, the Brazilian right-back played out a captivating stalemate against Angel Di Maria for much of the game.

Gerard Pique - 7

Unbeatable in the air, but Pique needs to work on his challenges, which at times, were just clumsy. Gave away unnecessary freekicks in dangerous areas, which Ronaldo might have punished him for, had he worn his pair of shooting boots.

Javier Mascherano - 7

Once again more than held his own in the unfamiliar position of centre-back. Was aided by Real's inability to exploit his lack of height.

Carles Puyol - 8.5

An outstanding performance by Barca's indomitable captain. Was officially deployed at left-back but at times it seemed as though he was playing across the whole defence. Mopped up whenever his colleagues at the back made a mess of things.

Sergio Busquets - 7

May be one of the least exciting players to watch, but what Busquets does, he does well. Retained possession for Barca all night long by virtually passing the ball backwards everytime he received it.

Xavi - 7

Had a reasonably quiet game by his standards but he was always looking to carve open Real's defence. Played a couple of delightful cross-field passes, but clearly was not the star of the night.

Seydou Keita - 6

Didn't do too much wrong, but then again, he didn't do much at all. If anything, he never stopped running and played his role for the team.

Pedro (off 71') - 7

Extremely lively showing from the winger. Engaged in a gruelling battle with Arbeloa in the first-half, and then as if he wasn't satisfied, switched flanks in the second period to duel with Marcelo. Never stopped trying.

Lionel Messi - 10

To be completely fair, Messi was a little subdued in the first half. But as the greatest players normally do, they have the ability to change the game with a single moment of brilliance. First, he found space in a crowded penalty area and then produced a deft touch to prod the ball through Casillas' legs for the opener. Then, of course, he decided to go for a leisurely jog, beating the whole opposition defence along the way, despite calmly slotting into the back of the net.

David Villa (off 90') - 7

Looked out of sorts playing on the wing but gave it his all and got the better of Marcelo on a couple of occasions. Came close to opening the scoring in the first half when he cut inside and fired a ferocious shot just wide.

Subs

Ibrahim Afellay (on 71') - 8

May only have been on for 20 minutes but Afellay's introduction easily won the match for Barca. He constantly hugged the right touchline, and his pace was eventually too much for Marcelo to handle, as he laid on the opener for Messi. Might not be long before we see him in the starting eleven.

Sergi Roberto (on 90') - N/A

With the match already won, Pep Guardiola decided to give the youngster a taste of the big time. Sergi is unlikely to ever forget this night, although he probably would have liked to have at least touched the ball.