A heavily-rotated Barcelona earned a 1-0 win at La Liga strugglers Cadiz on Saturday night.
Joao Felix’s showstopping overhead kick towards the end of the first half proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Barca have closed the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid back to eight points ahead of their meeting in El Clasico next weekend, while Cadiz remain three points adrift from safety in 18th.
How the game unfolded
Barcelona carved out the game’s first half-chance when a deep cross from Ferran Torres met Felix ghosting in at the far post, but he sliced his volley off his shin and the ball sailed harmlessly behind for a Cadiz goal kick.
The hosts went close to a surprise lead when Javier Hernandez ghosted forward from left-back and fired at the near post, with his powerful shot pushed to safety by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
A cross from Hector Fort looked to be sailing right into the top corner, but goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma came up with a quick reaction save to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Just before half-time, Barcelona went in front in spectacular fashion. Marcos Alonso’s corner was flicked on by Cadiz’s Alex Fernandez and into the path of Felix, who produced a stunning overhead kick to put Barca ahead.
Fermin Lopez thought he had doubled the lead soon after. He looked to have a simple tap-in at the end of a clever move which saw him teed up by a Sergi Roberto header, but his shot was cleared off the line by Victor Chust.
On the other side of the break, Cadiz were denied an equaliser by an offside flag. Juanmi was on hand to slot home a low through ball from Maxi Gomez, but he was several yards ahead of the last Barcelona defender and the goal was quickly chalked off.
Minutes later, Chust headed narrowly wide from a deep cross as Cadiz ramped up the pressure on their visitors.
Felix conjured up more magic with a lovely dribble inside from the left flank, teeing up Torres with a clever pass, but the winger’s shot was blocked by a sea of yellow Cadiz shirts.
With Barca’s next attack, Torres turned provider again for Felix with a curling cross, with the Portugal forward diverting his half-volley wide.
Cadiz wanted a penalty when Pau Cubarsi’s slide tackle hauled down Isaac Carcelen, but the offside flag went up. Replays suggested Carcelen was actually onside, though Cubarsi’s challenge took the ball first anyway.
Felix rattled the post with an exquisite strike after taking possession over from Fermin but again the offside flag curtailed the move from further advancing.
Ter Stegen had to be at his best to palm away a thumping effort from substitute Diadie Samassekou with effectively his first touch of the evening.
Barcelona dug in deep to close out the victory and maintain their forward momentum heading into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with PSG in midweek.
Barcelona player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 7/10 – Kept on his toes by a few outrageous strikes from Cadiz’s contingent. Really had to earn that clean sheet.
RB: Hector Fort – 6/10 – Showed his inexperience at points when Cadiz were in possession but was a good performer for the most part.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 8/10 – Wow. It’s incredible that Barcelona are so consistently able to find these teenage talents. A senior performance from the rookie, stepping up when his side needed him. Walked a fine line between brilliant and clumsy with his lunging tackle on Carcelen.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 6/10 – Must have been nice for the Dane to start at centre-back having either played in midfield or been used as a substitute in recent weeks. Wasn’t quite as impressive as 17-year-old Cubarsi.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 6/10 – Troubled Cadiz with his set pieces, ultimately leading to Felix’s stunning goal, but didn’t offer much in open play. A lot of the hosts’ attacks came down his side.
CM: Sergi Roberto – 7/10 – Relished the added responsibility in this less familiar midfield. So nearly came up with a clever assist for Fermin in the first half.
CM: Oriol Romeu – 6/10 – Was at risk of being overrun by a spirited Cadiz midfield but was hardly drowning in such a contest.
CM: Fermin Lopez – 6/10 – Flittered between the lines providing flair and ingenuity but will have been disappointed not to have had a more tangible impact against one of La Liga’s lesser teams.
RW: Ferran Torres – 6/10 – Got involved plenty but the quality of his final ball – be that a shot, pass or cross – was lacking considering how often Barcelona got into good positions.
CF: Vitor Roque – 4/10 – Provided absolutely nothing in the first half and only got involved in the second before being hooked when trying to chase down loose balls. Still a long way off the standard required to start for Barcelona, but that’s understandable.
LW: Joao Felix – 8/10 – The kind of game that makes you think it should be a no-brainer for Barcelona to try and keep Felix. The spark of creativity, the leader of their attack, demanding the ball on any given occasion.
Substitutes
SUB: Pedri (62′ for Fort) – 6/10
SUB: Lamine Yamal (62′ for Roque) – 6/10
SUB: Jules Kounde (62′ for Christensen) – 6/10
SUB: Raphinha (80′ for Fermin) – 6/10
SUB: Marc Casado (85′ for Felix) – N/A
Subs not used: Inaki Pena (GK), Ander Astralaga (GK), Ronald Araujo, Mikayil Faye, Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan, Marc Cuiu
Manager
Xavi – 7/10 – Barcelona were made to work for their victory, but they put in quite the shift considering the amount of changes made ahead of their Champions League clash with PSG.
