BATE Borisov vs. Barcelona: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League Match

Barcelona's unbeaten start to the Champions League season continued on Tuesday, as manager Luis Enrique's men emerged with a 2-0 victory over BATE Borisov at Borisov Arena to retain their place at the Group E summit.

Ivan Rakitic came off the bench to bag his first goals of the season, as BATE were completely nullified under the threat of the Spanish suppressors, mustering just four shots on goal compared to Barca's 19, as noted by WhoScored.com.

Sergei Grits/Associated Press

The Blaugrana were utterly dominant throughout Tuesday's matchup, and the Belarusian hosts could have conceded in the double digits had their visitors managed to convert half of their attempts on goal.

The victory means Barcelona are still the only team in Group E yet to suffer defeat, and Enrique may be pleased to see Bayer Leverkusen and Roma draw 4-4 in the pool's other fixture, which means that Barca is keeping both teams at bay for now.    

Spanish newspaper AS provided a roundup of the Group E standings following Tuesday's results:

These two teams met in the group stage of the 2011-12 Champions League, and although Barca were able to amass a much more impressive nine goals across those home and away meetings, Tuesday's tie was just as one-sided.

BATE lined up in a formation evidently aimed at nullifying the threat of Luis Suarez, perhaps the one component of Barcelona's attack whose movements would be easiest to track down.

But while the Uruguayan was man-marked fiercely, Brazilian team-mate Neymar was left to plunder his left flank as Barca enjoyed a disproportionate amount of time on the ball.

Andres Cordero of beIN Sports did his bit to illustrate just how safeguarded keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen's goal was in the first half, with any touches of his coming only through Barca's own decision-making:

It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise that Rakitic came on early for 23-year-old Sergi Roberto after the youngster suffered some form of muscle injury, but it wasn't until the second period that his replacement got on the board.

His first goal of the campaign was one to remember, too, after Neymar teed the Croat up on the edge of Sergei Chernik's area to rasp a terrific long-range effort into the BATE No. 1's top-right corner.

While that was explosive, Rakitic's second of the evening was a far more deft, as he chipped over Chernik from close range after a wonderfully woven Neymar through ball. Goal's Ben Hayward and Sid Lowe of the Guardian applauded:

What followed was a predictable demonstration of tiki-taka totality, with Barca eager to avoid injuries given their current crisis but also somewhat sadly choosing not to take much in the way of risks in the last half-hour.

Barcelona can now look forward to the reverse leg against BATE on Nov. 4, but Enrique's men have a stacked schedule in the fortnight leading up to that clash, facing a turnaround of four matches in 10 days.

Sergei Grits/Associated Press

Eibar travel to the Camp Nou this Sunday, before Barca face a Copa del Rey fixture against Villanovense just three days later. The Blaugrana then make the trip to Madrid three days after that to face Getafe before taking on BATE once more.

This part of the campaign often tends to be a frustrating one for any manager, but Enrique will have his tactical wit tested to the limit as he decides how best to distribute his limited resources in the fortnight to come.

Post-Match Reaction

Sergei Grits/Associated Press

Perhaps the most positive outcome for Barcelona on Tuesday was a rare clean sheet, the club's first since beating Malaga 1-0 all the way back in August.

That being said, Enrique also emphasised how pleased he was with the creative performance of his team, according to the club's official Twitter account:

The last thing Barca need at present is more injuries mounting on top of the list that's already stacked up, at least until the team can begin making new acquisitions in January.

It's good news, therefore, that Enrique confirmed that Roberto's injury isn't "very serious," with ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan confirming that the youngster will undergo tests on Wednesday.

Away from Tuesday's result, Enrique was also quizzed on how he feels being nominated for FIFA Coach of the Year, but last season's treble-winning boss insisted that individual prizes are of no concern to him:

Barcelona now move toward a busy part of their schedule, and Enrique will hope to see more tight defensive showings akin to that of Tuesday.