Real Madrid won 3-1 in El Clásico on Sunday, in a game where they were excellent in the first half and maintained their composure in the second. Carlo Ancelotti’s side go top of La Liga with the victory.
REAL MADRID
Andriy Lunin: 6 – Dealt with most of the threat calmly. Had no chance with the goal.
Dani Carvajal: 6 – Solid defensively with a great tackle to prevent Dembélé going through on goal in the second half. Perhaps lucky to not concede a penalty after a push on Lewandowski.
Éder Militão: 7 – Not at his best on the ball but alert defensively and stepped up well.
David Alaba: 6 – A solid game and a good foil to Militão.
Ferland Mendy: 7 – Typically assured in defence and added his value in attack with clever passing and linkup. Assisted Valverde’s goal.
Aurélien Tchouaméni: 7 – Brilliant defensively and equally reliable on the ball in moving play along.
Luka Modrić: 8 – Exquisitely neat in his linkup play and a constant outlet in every Madrid buildup. Went off to a standing ovation.
Toni Kroos: 9 – Another masterclass this season from the German. Warded off Busquets en route to creating the first goal. Controlled proceedings in an imperious first half for Madrid.
Fede Valverde: 9 – An engine throughout, as you would expect. Scored a spectacular finish from outside the box for Madrid’s second.
Karim Benzema: 7 – Pounced on the rebound to score the first goal. Scored an outrageous curler which was ruled out for offside. Superb in his intricate linkup with the rest.
SUBSTITUTES:
Rodrygo: 7 – Won and scored the penalty.
Eduardo Camavinga: 5
Marco Asensio: 5
Antonio Rüdiger: 5
BARCELONA
Marc-André ter Stegen: 5 – Conceded thrice but stood little chance to save any.
Sergi Roberto: 4 – Struggled to contain Vinícius in the first half, with both goals coming from his side.
Jules Koundé: 7 – Great coming out from the back and solid defensively.
Eric García: 5 – Gave away the penalty that led to Real Madrid’s third.
Alejandro Balde: 5 – Failed to have an impact against the combined enthusiasm of Valverde, Carvajal and Modrić. Put in one good cross but nothing else of note.
Sergio Busquets: 3 – Shrugged off by Toni Kroos for the first, left Valverde unmarked for the second, and generally another uninspiring performance in holding midfield. Hauled off for Gavi with half an hour to spare.
Frenkie de Jong: 5 – The Dutchman had little impact up against a compact Madrid setup.
Pedri: 6 – Given very little room to work his magic, hence, less influential than usual.
Raphinha: 4 – Found little joy against Ferland Mendy. His attempted crosses and shots were not good enough.
Robert Lewandowski: 6 – Marked tightly by Militão and co. the entire game. Perhaps should’ve had a penalty, and played a clever dummy in the buildup to Barça’s goal.
Ousmane Dembélé: 5 – Poor decisions cost him in the final third, in a game that was decided by efficiency.
SUBSTITUTES:
Ansu Fati: 7 – Immediately brought a sense of urgency to Barcelona’s offense. Came close to scoring with a long-range effort, before burning the Madrid right flank en route to creating the goal.
Ferran Torres: 6 – Scored a tap-in and made some good runs in offensive arenas.
Gavi: 6 – Got stuck in right from when we came on, bringing the much-needed aggressiveness that was absent while Busquets played.
Jordi Alba: 5
Franck Kessié: 5
GSFN
