Brest's unbeaten streak in the Champions League has come to an end after the French side were beaten 3-0 by Barcelona on Tuesday night. The two sides met in Europe's biggest competition and engaged in an entertaining contest that saw Hansi Flick's side playing some beautiful football, while a resilient Brest defence managed to keep things close for most of the match.
Just 10 minutes into the game, the visiting goalkeeper barreled into Robert Lewandowski inside his own penalty area to hand Barcelona a penalty. The Polish forward converted from the spot to give his side the lead and bag his 100th goal in the Champions League. He's now joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players in history to reach that milestone in the competition.
Despite the early goal and the Catalan giants pushing forward relentlessly throughout, Brest's backline did a magnificent job holding its shape and they withheld large spells of pressure from Barcelona to keep the scoreline close for the majority of the night. Dani Olmo eventually wriggled through and doubled his side's lead in the second half, though.
It was a valiant effort from Brest, but Flick's men came away with all three points and Lewandowski ensured they did so in style, adding his second and Barcelona's third goal of the night right at the death.
Barcelona vs. Brest Match Statistics
Barcelona
76
19
8
4
0
0
Match Highlights to come...
Barcelona Player Ratings
Robert Lewandowski celebrating his 100th Champions League goal
GK - Inaki Pena - 6/10
You'd be forgiven for being unaware he was even playing for large spells of the match. Had very, very little to do.
RB - Jules Kounde - 6/10
Left a little to be desired aerially.
CB - Inigo Martinez - 7/10
A very solid night for Martinez who wasn't asked to do much, but showed up when needed.
CB - Pau Cubarsi - 7/10
Very rarely put under any form of pressure, but stood tall whenever he was called upon.
LB - Gerard Martin - 8/10
Was impactful driving down the left flank, swinging crosses into the Brest area. A smart piece of play from the full-back also set Olmo up for Barcelona's second.
CM - Pedri - 8/10
Dominated midfield despite being outnumbered. Rarely put a foot wrong and was right on the money with the majority of his passes.
CM - Marc Casado - 8/10
Ran the show in the middle of the park. Casado was a creative force and an incredible outlet with 100% accuracy from his longballs.
RW - Raphinha - 8/10
Had a scintillating first half and caused all sorts of problems down the right flank. Won the majority of his ground duels, recorded multiple key passes and was a real difference maker.
AM - Fermin Lopez - 6/10
Missed a couple of glorious chances throughout and probably should have gotten on the scoresheet.
LW - Dani Olmo - 8/10
A fairly quiet first 45 minutes in comparison to his teammate on the opposite end. Showed up in the second half, though, and scored a wonderfully worked goal to seal Barcelona's win.
ST - Robert Lewandowski - 9/10
Won and then converted an early penalty to give his side the lead, becoming just the third player in Champions League history to score 100 goals in the competition in the process. Could have had the assist of the year if it wasn't for a fine save from Bizot. Then rounded the evening off with another fine finish to add to his already legendary Champions League tally.
Sub - Gavi - 6/10
Received a hero's welcome when he replaced Olmo, but had a quiet cameo.
Sub - Alejandro Balde - 6/10
Subbed into the game to give Martin a well-earned rest and had very little to do during his brief spell on the pitch.
Sub - Pablo Torre - 5/10
Had an incredible chance to score Barcelona's third of the night, but missed an absolute sitter.
Sub - Frenkie de Jong - N/A
Brought on with too little time to make an impact.
Brest Player Ratings
Brest players battling against BarcelonaGK - Marco Bizot - 6/10
A moment of madness from the keeper saw him fly into Lewandowski recklessly and give away an early penalty. Redeemed himself somewhat with some crucial saves to keep his side in the contest a little longer before the inevitable second goal.
RB - Kenny Lala - 7/10
Aside from a silly booking after losing his temper, Lala had a solid showing and stood up well against Olmo.
CB - Brendan Chardonnet - 7/10
Spent large portions of the contest under pressure, but did a fine job dealing with it.
CB - Julien Le Cardinal - 7/10
Like Chardonnet, the defender had his back against the wall for the majority of the game, but did an excellent job holding Barcelona at bay for the most part.
LB - Massadio Haidara - 5/10
Gave the ball away in a really dangerous area, but wasn't punished. Struggled throughout the game and couldn't handle Raphinha at all.
CM - Mahdi Camara - 6/10
Despite hold the numbers advantage, the midfielder was often overrun in the middle of the park.
CM - Edimilson Fernandes - 5/10
Struggled to really get going for his team and failed to take control of midfield.
CM - Hugo Magnetti - 5/10
It was a tough evening for Magnetti, who spent very little time on the ball and more time chasing after it.
RW - Kamory Doumbia - 5/10
Disappointing showing for the forward who offered his side very little.
ST - Ludovic Ajorque - 5/10
Didn't have many opportunities to show what he could do, as his side spent the majority of the evening on the backfoot.
LW - Abdallah Sima - 6/10
Spent more time tracking back than he did looking for ways to make a difference offensively, but wasn't terrible by any stretch.
Sub - Mama Balde - 6/10
Brought on shortly before the hour mark, but had very little impact on proceedings.
Sub - Romain Faivre - 6/10
Subbed on to freshen things up, but failed to make a difference.
Sub - Mathias Pereira Lage - 6/10
Brought on as his side tried to turn the tide, but had little impact on the game.
Sub - Jonas Martin - 6/10
Brought on with just over 10 minutes left in the contest and didn't really have time to do anything of note.
Sub - Romain Del Castillo - 6/10
Introduced in tough circumstances with his side 2-0 down, but didn't offer much.
Man of the Match
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski
Showed why he's still one of the very best strikers in the world with another magnificent performance. Kicked the evening off with his 100th Champions League goal, scoring from the penalty spot after he won the spot-kick himself. He then rounded things off nicely with another strike late on too as his side finished comfortable 3-0 winners.
It wasn't just his finishing that saw him shine, however. The Polish striker also could have had the assist of the year, after he pulled off a delicious flick to play Lopes through on goal, but a sublime save from Bizot denied him of that. When he's in the sort of form he was in against Brest, there are few players in the world quite on his level.
All statistics courtesy of SofaScore and accurate as of 26/11/2024