Marcus Rashford handed brutal verdict as Spanish press rip into Barcelona 'nightmare' after Chelsea thrashing

Ed Griffiths

By Ed Griffiths


Published: 26/11/2025

- 11:47

The Blues took the lead in the 27th minute via a shambolic Jules Kounde own goal

Marcus Rashford has been handed a brutal verdict by the Spanish press following Barcelona's thrashing at the hands of Chelsea in the Champions League.

The embarrassing 3-0 defeat saw the Blues dominate their Catalan opponents from start to finish, with outlets turning on the England international.


Much like most of his teammates, the former Manchester United star endured a difficult evening after coming off the bench at half-time.

Replacing Ferran Torres, Rashford was handed a blunt assessment for his performance.

Mundo Deportivo said: "He was neither seen nor sacrificed in defence."

"He came on with one less player and couldn't act as an agitator," the newspaper's rating, which also described him as "sentenced", read.

Chelsea took the lead in the 27th minute via a shambolic Jules Kounde own goal.

Things got worse for Hansi Flick's side following the dismissal of captain Ronaldo Araujo, who picked up a second yellow for a clumsy challenge on Marc Cucurella.

\u200bMarcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford has been handed a brutal verdict

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Estevao Willian and Liam Delap both found the score sheet, concluding an embarrassing night for Rashford and his teammates.

Describing the evening as a "nightmare", the outlet called Barcelona "unrecognisable" in an analysis headlined "a Barca far from its level (suffered) from a resounding KO".

They said Chelsea had "run over" Barcelona, who created a "disaster" and the English side could have had "even more" goals.

Barcelona, who now sit 15th in the European standings, were branded "tight-fisted" and accused of offering "a very poor version, (that made) Chelsea's job easier, and (made) it very difficult to finish in the top eight".

Mundo Deportivo front page

Mundo Deportivo is a Spanish newspaper

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MUNDO DEPORTIVO

Sport front page

Newspaper Sport led with 'not like this, Barca'

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SPORT

Going on to criticse individual players, the front page read: "Araujo's unforgivable sending-off turns the second-half into an exercise in incompetence for the Blaugrana."

Newspaper Sport led with "not like this, Barca" as they agreed that the Spanish giants were "unrecognisable" from the domestic league side that has allowed them to keep pace with La Liga-topping Real Madrid.

They also laid blame on manager Flick, who was left "without an answer" in west London.

Lamine Yamal was kept quiet all evening by Cucurella with mocking chants of "you're just a s*** Estevao" from the London fan base.

\u200bLamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal was kept quiet all evening by Cucurella

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The publication added: "(He) started bright and electric, but faded along with the rest of the team far too quickly.

"Isolated and invisible for long stretches. It wasn't his day."

Striker Robert Lewandowski was branded "absent", while midfielder Frenkie de Jong was described as "lost".

Chelsea's teenage sensation Estevao produced a masterclass display as the 18-year-old Brazilian winger eclipsed his highly-rated contemporary Yamal.

Chelsea

Chelsea's Teenage sensation Estevao produced a masterclass display

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Speaking to Amazon Prime following his remarkable performance, Estevao struggled to articulate his emotions.

"I don't really have any words to sum up how I am feeling. It was all very quick for me. I found some space and wiggled my way through," the youngster explained.

When questioned whether this represented his career's finest moment, his response was emphatic.

"Yes, yes. I hope I keep scoring for many more years. My family were here to watch," he confirmed.