.png)
4 weeks ago
46 ARTICLE AD
Barcelona and Real Madrid locked horns in the first Clasico of the season late on Saturday night at Santiago Bernabeu in a game that lived up to the massive hype around it.
Through the first half, both sides tussled eye for eye and both created chances of their own. However, neither capitalised and saw the game enter the half-time break goalless.
The game turned around after the break as Robert Lewandowski scored a quick-fire double to take the Blaugrana two goals clear in the high-pressure game.
Real Madrid subsequently amped up the pressure in their attempt to engineer a second consecutive comeback from 2-0 down.
However, a Lamine Yamal goal later in the night was the final nail in the coffin for Los Blancos before Raphinha made it four.
Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona.
Inaki Pena: 9
The Spanish goalkeeper made perhaps the save of his career to deny Jude Bellingham in the first half and was decent between the sticks. His distribution, however, continued to be largely questionable.
Once again came up with a sensational save to deny Mbappe past the hour mark and made another save minutes later.
Alejandro Balde: 8.5
The left-back was the higher of the two full-backs on the night and constantly looked to push forward in attack and bombard crosses into the Real Madrid area.
Was reliable defensively as well, often going up against Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde and Kylian Mbappe.
Earned a deserved assist for Lewy’s second goal with an inch-perfect cross from the flank.
Inigo Martinez: 8.5
Martinez led the defensive line from the front and did well to maintain the spotless high line and thus keep opposition forwards in an offside position.
While he did lack the pace to track back on the counter-attack, his defensive awareness placed him well against the likes of Mbappe.
Pau Cubarsi: 8.5
The teenage defender did well to hold his nerve on the biggest stage and was a vital part of the offside trap Barcelona once again flaunted at Santiago Bernabeu.
Jules Kounde: 8
Going up against Vinicius Jr, Kounde was always going to have a long night but the Frenchman did a good job of keeping the winger at bay.
While the Brazilian did slip out on a couple of occasions, the fact that Vini completed just two passes in 45 minutes is massive.
Marc Casado: 8.5
The rightful engine of the team, Casado held Barcelona’s fortress with great technique and was an immense presence off the ball. His ball-playing skills also helped with the ball circulation as he regularly linked up with Pedri and even looked to break the line with long-range passes.
Found a sensational ball to find Lewandowski for the opener.
Pedri: 9
The Canary Islander was solid for the better part of the game, wriggling out of pressure and always looking for the best pass on his radar.
Slightly succumbed to the physicality of Real Madrid’s game but it is safe to say that his technique was top-notch. Had a couple of goal attempts as well.
Fermin Lopez: 7.5
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Lopez failed to have the same impact he did against Bayern Munich as he struggled to create the same spaces with his runs off the ball.
Did not do much wrong but was not the right tactical fit to exploit Real Madrid’s defensive weaknesses.
Lamine Yamal: 8.5
The youngster improved his defensive work-rate and looked to settle a little bit deeper to toss lobbed passes into the forwards.
Had a phenomenal 1v1 chance in the first half that he couldn’t capitalise on.
Scored a sensational goal with his right foot in the second half, blasting the ball from an extremely tight angle.
Raphinha: 9
Tightly man-marked on this occasion, Raphinha was not given half as much space or time that he enjoyed against Bayern Munich and was thus suppressed through the first half.
In fact, it was perhaps the 45 minutes of football this season where he was the least involved in the buildup.
Earned the assist for Yamal’s goal in the 77th minute and scored in the 84th minute to humiliate Real Madrid.
Robert Lewandowski: 9.5
Lewandowski celebrating his goal with Frenkie de Jong. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Real Madrid capitalised on Lewandowski’s relatively weaker hold-up play with his back to the goal and often looked to amp up the pressure on the Polish striker.
Lewandowski failed to record a single shot in the first half and completed just four passes as a result.
Pounced on the first chance that came his way, scoring from distance and putting the ball beyond reach early in the second half.
Scored again minutes later to get on the end of Balde’s assist to double the lead.
Missed two massive chances to complete his hat-trick against Real Madrid.
Frenkie de Jong: 8
Came on at half-time to replace Fermin Lopez and did well to stabilise the ship as part of the double pivot. Showcased good defensive awareness and great ball-playing skills.
Dani Olmo: 8.5
Opened up the game completely after coming on, exploiting the spaces in Real Madrid’s setup and creating chances with ease. Absolute baller of the highest standards.
