Marcus Rashford experienced a challenging return to Champions League football on a difficult night for FC Barcelona, who were soundly beaten 3-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Manchester United loanee, who has impressed at times for the Catalan club, was introduced from the bench but struggled to make an impact after his team had been reduced to ten men and were already trailing.
A Night to Forget at Stamford Bridge
The match itself was a one-sided affair, with Chelsea dominating from the outset. The Blues sealed their dominant 3-0 victory with goals from Estevao and Liam Delap, supplemented by a Jules Kounde own goal. Barcelona's woes were compounded when defender Ronald Araujo was shown a red card, leaving his side with a mountain to climb.
Rashford's opportunity was limited from the start. Having missed Barcelona's previous match against Athletic Club due to illness, manager Hansi Flick opted to name him amongst the substitutes for the first half. Flick acknowledged the form of Ferran Torres, who scored twice at the weekend, as a factor in the decision.
The Spanish Media's Verdict
Given the circumstances, the Spanish press offered a sympathetic but underwhelming assessment of the England international's brief performance.
MARCA awarded him a rating of five, noting: "Ferran comes on after the break. He tries to get Lewandowski running, but it doesn't work. Several defenders in blue close him down every time he touches the ball. The Englishman is having a tough time."
SPORT highlighted the difficulty of his task, stating: "He came on with one less player and couldn't act as an agitator. He was neither seen nor sacrificed in defence."
Mundo Deportivo contrasted the display with his previous trip to England, remarking: "Nothing like his previous visit to England, which resulted in two goals in Newcastle. He couldn't swim against the tide."
Looking Ahead for Rashford and Barcelona
Despite the disappointing outing, it is unlikely that Flick will be overly critical of Rashford. The German coach has previously expressed his admiration for the 28-year-old forward.
Before the game, Flick said: "I'm really very happy [he is back]. We will decide tomorrow [Tuesday] if he plays from the beginning or if he comes in from the bench. But as I said, I'm happy to have him in our team." He added, "I have followed him, I think, his whole career. I was impressed about him, with his quality."
With Rashford's loan deal including a £26 million purchase clause and his overall positive start to the campaign, Barcelona are still widely expected to make the transfer permanent this summer.
