Barca gave BATE a football masterclass – Yermakovich

BATE coach Aleksandr Yermakovich admitted Barcelona gave his side a “football masterclass” in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Barcelona sealed a 2-0 win over BATE in Borisov thanks to two second-half goals from Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic. 

Yermakovich, 40, bemoaned BATE’s performance but took nothing away from the Champions League holders.

“We expected more from the first half, but our transition from defence to counterattack was poor,” he said. “That is the major disappointment from this game.

“Barca gave us a football masterclass. They showed us how to attack and how to play once you lose the ball. We have to learn more, much more.

“Every BATE player feels responsibility when he takes the field, but it was obvious from the very beginning that Barcelona did not underestimate us in any way.

“They were totally prepared for our counterattacks and knew how to stop us launching them.”

BATE are third in Group E, four points behind Barca and one adrift of Bayer Leverkusen after three matchdays.