Barcelona player ratings vs Atletico Madrid: Lamine Yamal & Ferran Torres' brilliance counts for nothing! Lethal Ademola Lookman snuffs out Blaugrana's stirring Champions League comeback attempt

Barcelona ran out of steam at the crucial moment as they fell short in a stirring comeback attempt in their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Trailing 2-0 on aggregate after the first instalment, a Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres-inspired Barca were unable to see off their domestic rivals despite levelling the tie in a scintillating first half at the Metropolitano.

Yamal was the protagonist literally from the first whistle, forcing a save after 30 seconds before opening the scoring inside four minutes as Clement Lenglet's error was brutally punished. Dani Olmo then spurned a one v one in a frantic opening.

Antoine Griezmann came close to settling the rattling Atletico nerves, but just moments later it was 2-0 as the hosts failed to clear and Torres was played in to finish with aplomb. Atleti's capitulation was almost complete straight from the restart as another Lenglet giveaway led to Fermin Lopez's point-blank header drawing an excellent stop from Juan Musso.

Out of nowhere, though, Diego Simeone's side hit back to restore their aggregate lead, as a blistering counterattack ended with Ademola Lookman converting a pinpoint cross on the half-hour mark. There was still time for Torres to have another effort smothered in a breathless first period.

The second half would be a different story altogether, as Atleti finally found their feet and moved into the ascendency while their visitors ran out of steam. Lookman fired just wide and Robin Le Normand went close twice in quick succession either side of another Torres goal being disallowed for offside.

Barca's fate was sealed with 10 minutes left on the clock when Eric Garcia was given his marching orders for a last-man foul on Alexander Sorloth, following a VAR review of his trip and an initial offside call. The Blaugrana's final chance to level the tie fell to the wrong man, as substitute Ronald Araujo nodded over from mere yards out with 90 seconds of added time remaining, consigning his side to an agonising 3-2 aggregate defeat.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Metropolitano...

Getty Images Sport
Goalkeeper & Defence
Joan Garcia (6/10):
A spectator until he was beaten by Lookman. Stayed switched on to make a sublime save from Le Normand's header in the late stages.
Jules Kounde (6/10):
Made a vital early interception but given a tough time by Lookman, who beat him to the ball for his goal.
Eric Garcia (5/10):
Had battled hard and did well in a number of duels on the ground and in the air, but sent off in a moment that perhaps decided the tie late on.
Gerard Martin (7/10):
Brilliant last-ditch block to deny Griezmann in the first half. Accurate with his passing and often prevailed in marginal situations.
Joao Cancelo (5/10):
Always looked for opportunities to surge forward but lacked an end product.

AFP
Midfield
Gavi (7/10):
Absolutely everywhere as the fit-again midfielder did the dirty work while still keeping his side ticking over in the centre of the park.
Pedri (6/10):
Maybe struggled to keep up with the ferocious pace of the second leg, although still picked his passes effortlessly.
Dani Olmo (7/10):
Played a very cute pass to assist Torres' strike and dovetailed very nicely with the attacking trio in front of him. Probably should have scored early on, though.
AFP
Attack
Lamine Yamal (8/10):
Bang on it from minute one, seeing a strike tipped around the post before rolling the ball between the keeper's legs. Was involved in absolutely everything - either creating or taking the game by the scruff of its neck himself.
Ferran Torres (8/10):
Lightning-quick thinking to play Yamal in for his early goal and added a fine finish of his own 20 minutes later. Justified his start ahead of Robert Lewandowski.
Fermin Lopez (6/10):
Barca's least effective attacker on the night despite seeing plenty of the ball. Really should have scored with a close-range header and took a big whack for his trouble.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images Sport
Subs & Manager
Marcus Rashford (5/10):
Struggled to get into the game on the left flank, running down blind alleys.
Robert Lewandowski (5/10):
Thrown on to find an all-important goal but only really had one half-opening in the dying embers of the game.
Frenkie de Jong (6/10):
Immediately busied himself and made a difference at both ends with his composure.
Ronald Araujo (N/A):
Thrown up front and missed a golden headed chance with 90 seconds left.
Roony Bardghji (N/A):
Actually managed to see plenty of the ball in his brief time on the pitch.
Hansi Flick (6/10):
His side looked nailed on to complete the comeback after 25 minutes in a courageous first-half showing, but they ran out of steam completely in the second period. Still, he got his big selection calls right.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Subs & Manager