Barcelona completed their tour of the USA with a 1-0 win against Italian side Inter Milan in front of a very subdued Las Vegas crowd.
Fati scored the winner with a stunning strike cutting in from the left, and Xavi was able to give some young players some game time.
Barcelona will now head home with their next game being the Joan Gamper Trophy against Tottenham on August 8th.
Dembele and Kessie were left watching the game from the stands with both their futures in question. Dembele is on the verge of joining French champions PSG, and Kessie has been the object of intense interest by Juventus.
Here are the player ratings from the game against Milan.
Goalkeeper
Iñaki Peña – 8
Really good day in goal for Peña, although he wasn’t asked to do much. Made two good saves with his legs, commanded his area well and also distributed the ball with confidence. Don’t think he put a foot wrong and he’ll make a good backup keeper for Barca this season.
Defenders
Marcos Alonso – 6
Always looks much better going forward than he does defending. Picked up an early yellow card when he got done for pace, which is going to happen, bu otherwise had an uneventful night in the defensive half. Only played 45 minutes, but he got forward to support Abde well and had a shot that flew past the post. He’s a steady veteran presence, but his best years are certainly behind him.
Eric Garcia – 6.5
A very solid performance by Garcia who won most of his battles and continues to distribute the ball well. He does sometimes try and step up when all he needs to do is drop and defend. But when you play the majority of the game and you don’t concede a goal, you’ve done your job. Garcia won’t start for Barcelona, but if he did you’d feel relatively comfortable.
Ronald Araujo – 6
I feel sorry for Araujo, as he’s a centre-back being asked to play as a right-back and that’s not what his game is built around. He doesn’t seem to know what to do with the ball when in the opposition box and he got left on his heels by Leao at times, but again, he’s a centre-half by nature.
Jules Kounde – 7
There was one moment where he got left for dust by Leao who breezed past him, but overall I thought Kounde had a very good game. He won most of the balls in the air, his positioning was good to cut out some dangerous crosses and he looked calmer on the ball. He’s obviously more natural as a centre back and this was his best pre-season performance.
Alejandro Balde – 8.5
He’s been Barcelona’s best player through the pre-season, incredibly dangerous going forward with his pace and defends well when asked. He injected speed into the game, worked well with Fati for the goal and if Barca had an attack, chances are he was involved in it. Quickly becoming one of the best left-backs in the world.
Sergino Dest – 5
It’s unfortunate that the only thing I remember Dest doing is losing the ball which led to AC Milan’s chance to equalise. Had it not been for a scuffed shot, his rating would be down at 2 or 3. I think it’s best for everyone if Dest moves on quickly after this tour, I just don’t think he’s Barca quality and that’s highlighted even more when a centre-back plays better in your position than you do.
Mikayll Faye – 6
Good to get his debut out of the way. Had a nervous touch which led to a corner, but also showed good positioning to cut out another cross. Wasn’t really on the field long enough, and for players like that, I give them a standard 6.
Alex Valle – 6
I’m not sure if Valle actually touched the ball, I’m sure he did but he really wasn’t on the field long enough to do anything of note. I don’t expect to see him play much this year.
Midfielders
Oriol Romeu – 7.5
After a shaky first game against Arsenal, Romeu has really settled into his grove now and after a positive performance against Real Madrid, he followed that up today. He’s getting on the ball more and dictating play, alongside his known ability to break up attacks. Looks very confident playing with De Jong which is a good sign for Barca. Could end up being one of the most underrated signings in La Liga this year.
Pedri – 6
Gave the ball away with an ill-advised crossfield ball that led to a dangerous attack, but fortunately, nothing came of it. Pedri has struggled to impact the games through the pre-season for one reason or another, although he did win the ball back a couple of times and the majority of his passes found the right players. He’ll be hoping for more once the season starts, and Barca will need more from their young playmaker.
Fermin Lopez – 6
Like Pedri, he failed to impact the game like he did against Real Madrid. He did make a number of intelligent runs off the ball, but they were wasted by teammates. You wonder if he played with De Jong, would those runs have been rewarded? He didn’t do anything wrong but the first half passed him and Barcelona by. Substituted at half-time.
Sergi Roberto – 6
A tidy appearance from Sergi, which is probably a great compliment to a player who is considered Mr Reliable. The Barca captain always puts a shift in, he closed down the AC Milan midfield well, broke up play and broke through the lines. He didn’t do anything overly special, but it was a clean performance.
Frenkie de Jong – 7
I don’t think many would argue that Barcelona looks better when De Jong is on the field. His passing breaks lines and he linked up with Fati really well. He’s always combative in the tackle, and for me, he’s the most important player in this squad. Dropped back and played as a centre-back late, which just reminded me of his versatility.
Marc Casado – 6
Wasn’t on the field very long, but it was good to see the young midfielder get some minutes next to De Jong.
Aleix Garrido – 6
Giving him the standard 6 and he wasn’t on the field long enough to impact the game.
Forwards
Abde Ezzalzouli – 6.5
My instinct was to go with a 7 here, as he at least injected some real pace and intent into the side, but there was very little end product today. He’s obviously extremely skilful and his pace will terrify a lot of teams in La Liga, but he lost the ball a few times tonight in bad positions. Only had 45 minutes and it was a bit of a subdued affair in the first half. Still think he has a part to play for Barcelona this year.
Ferran Torres – 5
Very subdued 45 minutes for Torres who had one sight of goal late in the first half, and it was an easy save for the keeper. Ferran always works hard and he put in a really good shift in terms of closing down, but it just didn’t roll for him in front of goal. He didn’t do anything wrong, but he didn’t really do anything to make you sit up and take notice either.
Raphinha – 6
There was just something missing with Raphinha tonight. He had one shot that was a relatively straightforward save, but he also had multiple opportunities to shoot on his right foot and instead he tried to drag the ball back onto his left, which led to him losing the ball. If he wants to be that replacement for Dembele he’s going to need to shoot on site more.
Lewandowski – 6.5
When you actually focus on Lewandowski you realise just how intelligent he is. He made a number of good runs, and he finds these pockets of space to link play.. His ball into Araujo for the off-side goal was excellent and while he looks a little tentative in front of goal at the minute, you have no concerns with him being able to turn it on when the season starts.
Fati – 8.5 (STAR MAN)
Scored an absolute wonder goal after cutting in from the left and finding the top corner. Then started to roam around the field and AC Milan couldn’t pick him up. He linked the play really nicely and at one point it looked as though he was playing a centre midfield role. Not everything he tried came off, but seeing him have the confidence to try it was the most pleasing thing. Got a feeling that he’s the biggest winner of Dembele moving on.
Lamine Yamal – 7.5
An electrifying cameo is probably the best way to describe the play of Yamal. He came on and whipped a shot just past the post. He seemed to glide past the defence and rarely lost the ball. When you consider that he’s only 16, it’s pretty remarkable. He’ll have a part to play for Barca this season, even if it’s just a handful of cameo performances. He got the crowd excited, which didn’t seem easy to do.