Juventus: Top 5 performances from 3-0 win over Barcelona

Juventus defeated Barcelona 3-0 at the Camp Nou to win their Champions League group. Who were the best players in the match?

The Bianconeri didn’t need a furious comeback to defeat Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night in their final 2020-2021 Champions League group stage match. Whereas Juventus had to find two late goals to win the Derby Della Mole over the weekend, their match against La Blaugrana was a far more comfortable affair for the reigning Serie A champions.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice from the spot, and Weston McKennie added his second in as many games to lead Juve to a remarkable victory over a struggling Barcelona side.

Let’s take a look at the top five individual performances in the win.

GK Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon got the start in this big match and did not disappoint. He put together one of his best performances in a while, turning back the clock with some seriously stunning saves. Buffon thoroughly deserved his clean sheet at the Camp Nou.

FW Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is an obvious choice here, because he scored two goals in the win. He also made a great run to the near post that drew out Clement Lenglet and enabled Weston McKennie to have so much space to execute his finish for Juve’s second goal.

Honestly, Ronaldo’s play with the ball at his feet didn’t jump out in this match, but it was his leadership and cool head from the spot that made the difference. It’s not coincidence that Juventus went from losing 2-0 to winning 3-0 with Ronaldo in the lineup. He makes a huge difference in the biggest games with his presence.

CB Matthijs de Ligt

Matthijs de Ligt is becoming quite the big-game player in his own right for Juventus. The Dutch center back dropped another top-notch performance defensively against Barcelona. Nothing Barça did could trouble de Ligt, who has been in good form since returning from a shoulder injury. He is a leader at the back and is almost always in the right position.

LB Alex Sandro

Another defender who deserves a shout, Alex Sandro brought his “A” game to the pitch when it was needed. He has really raised his game since a tumultuous summer, as his return from injury has been a boost to Juventus defensively.

He’s more known for his work on defense than in the attack, and that’s what Juve needed against Barcelona and Lionel Messi. As always, Messi had the ball and racked up counting stats, but Barcelona had no goals. And Sandro had nine defensive involvements between tackles and interceptions, per WhoScored.com. That tells you what you need to know about how much Alex Sandro helped the Bianconeri in this clean sheet victory.

RB Juan Cuadrado

Juan Cuadrado assisted both goals in the Derby Della Mole, and he added an eighth assist on the season against Barcelona with a perfect one-touch, lofted pass to Weston McKennie after he played a one-two with the center midfielder.

In total, Cuadrado had two key passes and six crosses for the Bianconeri, offering the width and quality of passing that Juve need to make their attack work. I don’t think there’s a more underappreciated player at a big club than Cuadrado, who is able to add even more creativity and chance-creation to the side when he’s starting higher up the pitch as a right midfielder or a more aggressive right back in the asymmetric back four.