FC Barcelona

2.86

• 
  33

  10

  4.00

  José Pinto Colorado

  Looked rocky when coming to claim the ball but he did make some vital saves to keep an impressive clean sheet. A strong hand to Lima's effort which turned the ball onto the post was his highlight.

• 
  23

  10

  3.00

  Carles Puyol

  Knocked the ball about comfortably in the opening moments but things soon took a slight turn for the worse as he occasionally struggled to marshal a disorganised defence, thus offering Benfica a number of chances.

• 
  19

  9

  3.00

  Montoya

  Rarely got forward to assist the attack but still managed to afford Nolito too much space. He tightened things up in the second half but his lack of adventure left the Blaugrana with limited options in the final third.

• 
  22

  10

  3.00

  Adriano

  Played in the centre of defence and looked fairly solid if unspectacular, reading the play well and making some decent interceptions.

• 
  16

  12

  3.00

  Planas

  Stood John up well early on but struggled to maintain his positioning as the game went on. He was regularly dragged into unfamiliar territory and he did not look particularly confident when tackling.

• 
  29

  11

  3.00

  Thiago Alcántara

  Thiago showed moments of real class as he wriggled away from challenges with his wonderfully tight control. He kept things flowing in the middle of the park but never really secured control of the game.

• 
  19

  19

  2.50

  Alex Song

  Took the ball from the centre-backs and distributed it simply to the more attack-minded players in the side. He made a number of strong tackles but, to be brutally honest, did not offer enough protection to his defence.

• 
  15

  10

  2.50

  Sergi Roberto

  Seemed to take a long time to get involved in the game but began to influence proceedings midway through the first half. He looked silky in possession and rarely gave the ball away to the opposition. Still, would have been hoping to make a better impression.

• 
  18

  13

  3.00

  Rafinha

  Put in a lot of effort in for his side as he chased around the pitch to help out his team-mates. His influence in the final third was minimal, though, and he was withdrawn in the 58th minute.

• 
  22

  16

  2.50

  David Villa

  The striker was caught offside numerous times as he never seemed to time his runs correctly. He kept going and got a couple of chances after the break but did not take them before being forced onto the left when Messi entered the game.

• 
  14

  22

  2.00

  Tello

  It proved to be a frustrating night for the young winger once more as a heavy touch saw him spurn a number of opportunities to hurt Benfica. He should have done better in the first half after Luisao's fumbled interception.

Substitutions

• 
  18

  11

  3.00

  Piqué

  Did not really seem to have any set role when he entered the fray in the 66th minute but added some solidity to the side defensively.

• 
  26

  8

  2.50

  Gerard

  Looked very lively in the closing 10 minutes after coming on for Tello. He showed his excellent dribbling ability but could not put Benfica to the sword.

• 
  71

  38

  3.00

  Lionel Messi

  Replaced Rafinha in the 58th minute but was unable to find his landmark 85th goal of 2012. It was not for the want of trying though, as a top save from Artur kept him out in the closing moments before he was forced off with a worrying injury.

Benfica

3.31

• 
  20

  9

  4.00

  Artur Top of the Match

  The Brazilian was decisive and confident when called upon. He was not forced into a stretching save of note, but he was consistently solid throughout.

• 
  5

  5

  3.50

  Luisao

  The towering defender did well for the most part. He used his physique well to intimidate the opposition but at times looked a bit immobile. He was lucky that a failed interception was not capitalised on by Tello in the first half.

• 
  2

  13

  2.50

  Maximiliano Pereira Flop of the Match

  Picked his moments to get forward well but was unable to make anything happen. Defensively, he lost his temper quickly and allowed Tello to get the better of him a few too many times.

• 
  6

  2

  3.50

  Ezequiel Garay

  The former Real Madrid man was clearly not intimidated by Camp Nou as he put in a stout defensive display. Barcelona were unable to break the back-line down and a decent goal-line clearance kept the hosts out.

• 
  1

  1

  3.50

  L. Melgarejo

  Was caught out of position early on as Montoya pushed forward. He barely ventured over the half-way line and did not offer the attacking outlet which has previously proved so effective. However, he was very solid at the back, playing a key role in Benfica's clean sheet.

• 
  3

  2

  3.50

  Nolito

  Found plenty of space on the left and used it well to create some great chances for his side. He set Lima up twice with a couple of quality passes but the Brazilian was unable to convert. He fired just wide after the break, too.

• 
  3

  6

  3.00

  Nemanja Matić

  Patrolled the midfield well and limited the amount of supply from the centre of the park up to the Blaugrana front three. He put in some robust challenges and rarely neglected his post throughout.

• 
  4

  0

  3.50

  André Gomes

  The youngster was competent in possession and used it well to feed the wide players. He helped to break up the play and ensured that Barcelona did not have total domination of the ball.

• 
  3

  4

  3.50

  Lima

  The Brazilian took a while to get into the game but managed to get in some impressive positions. However, he was unable to make them count as he sent a free header wide before having a shot tipped onto the post in the first half. Good performance, though.

• 
  9

  0

  3.50

  Ola John

  Played Rodrigo in on goal with a great pass early on but the Spaniard could not finish. John then suffered the same fate as he hit the side netting after beating Planas with ease. His pace and creativity caused Barca a number of problems.

• 
  2

  2

  3.00

  Rodrigo

  Should well have put his side ahead in the 12th minute but lacked the composure to find the net when one-on-one with Pinto. Impressed sporadically.

Substitutions

• 
  0

  1

  3.00

  Bruno César

  Replaced Nolito in the 63rd minute but did not use his creativity to forge many more chances for his side.

• 
  0

  1

  André Almeida

  Brought on for Rodrigo in the 74th minute but he was unable to influence the game.

• 
  0

  4

  3.00

  Ó. Cardozo

  Came on for Lima late on but was not given any great service from his team-mates. He failed to bring the ball under control in the final minute of stoppage time and was unable to get a shot away.