Marcus Rashford came off the bench for Barcelona in their 3-0 Champions League defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with the Spanish media delivering their verdict on his display
Josh Acheampong of Chelsea battles for possession with Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona
Marcus Rashford in action against Chelsea(Image: Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
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Marcus Rashford endured a less-than-satisfactory return to Champions League action on Tuesday night as Barcelona crashed to a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the capital. Goals from Estevao and Liam Delap, plus a Jules Kounde own goal, sealed Chelsea's dominant victory at Stamford Bridge, while Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo saw red.
The Manchester United loanee has produced some memorable displays for the Catalan giants, but struggled to make his mark in this encounter. To be fair to Rashford, he'd missed the previous match against Athletic Club through illness, prompting Hansi Flick to name him amongst the substitutes for the opening 45 minutes.
Added to that, Ferran Torres has been delivering consistent performances recently, something Flick acknowledged. Flick said: "Ferran scored two goals on Saturday, and Marcus had been out for three or four days due to his injury, but he's ready to play at any moment."
When Rashford was introduced, Barca were already down to 10 men and trailing, making it difficult for the England star to influence proceedings.
Still, here's how the Spanish media assessed Rashford's showing against Chelsea.
MARCA - "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. Rated five."
SPORT - "He came on with one less player and couldn't act as an agitator. He was neither seen nor sacrificed in defence."
Mundo Deportivo - "Nothing like his previous visit to England, which resulted in two goals in Newcastle. He couldn't swim against the tide."
Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona
The Spanish press had little to say about Marcus Rashford's outing(Image: Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
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It's doubtful Flick will dwell too heavily on Rashford's contribution, considering the mitigating factors outlined and the German boss's obvious admiration for the 28-year-old forward. "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," Flick said before the game.
"Last time when we played Newcastle, I also said this. I have followed him, I think, his whole career. I was impressed about him, with his quality, what he is doing in the box, what he is doing in front of goal.
"He has also showed it in Barcelona, which is really good. But for him, this change to live in another culture. The people in Barcelona are fantastic, we have nice weather. For me, it's amazing.
"You can see now he is also smiling a lot, and if he can enjoy the atmosphere we have, it is also good for him."
His loan deal includes a £26million purchase clause and following an impressive start to the campaign, Barcelona are expected to make the transfer permanent.
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