Real Madrid earns a statement win in El Classico with a 1-3 away victory against their rivals Barcelona at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid traveled to Catalunya and came away with a much-needed win against Barcelona. Federico Valverde gave Los Blancos the lead early in the first half, but Ansu Fati equalized minutes later.
Sergio Ramos scored from the penalty, and Luka Modric scored a magical outside of the boot goal in the second half to give Real Madrid a deserved victory in the first El Classico of the season.
Zinedine Zidane started his strongest possible elven from the players he had available. Vinicius got back to the first team, while Ferland Mendy reclaimed his left-back position. Nacho slotted in at the right-back position, and Modric started on the bench.
Manager
Zinedine Zidane – 8/10
I have been critical of Zidane in the last two losses against Cadiz and Shakhtar Donetsk, but the Frenchman should get the majority of the credit for this win against Barcelona. He set up his team with the strongest possible line-up with the players available, and more importantly, he prepared his team to face their arch-rivals mentally and tactically.
Real Madrid created more chances and had a better xG of 3.21 to Blaugrana’s 1.57, per Understat.com. Zidane continues his unbeaten record in Camp Nou to become the first manager to remain unbeaten in six away El Classicos.
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
There has been no other player as reliable as Thibaut Courtois on goal. He couldn’t have done much more with Barcelona’s goal, but he was splendid to deny Lionel Messi in a one on one situation when the score was 1-1.
The Belgian did not have much else to do in terms of saves. He looked good and calm with the ball on his feet.
Defenders
Nacho – 5/10
Nacho struggled to keep track of both Ansu Fati and Jordi Alba on the right. He completely missed Alba’s run for the first goal. He did make some vital interceptions, but he was not at his best. The Spaniard got replaced in the 43rd minute with an injury.
Raphael Varane – 7.5/10
Both the central defenders for the Royal Whites were immense against Barcelona. The organization of the backline looked suspect, but individually they gave big-game performances. Varane should shoulder some of the blame for the first goal as he did keep Alba onside.
Other than that, he cleared everything that came his way. Varane completed seven clearances, had three interceptions, and won two aerial duels.
Sergio Ramos – 8.5/10
El Classico showed how important Sergio Ramos is to Real Madrid’s defense. The Merengues had a disaster of a defensive performance against Shakhtar Donetsk midweek without El Capitan.
They looked so much better against Barcelona with the return of Ramos. And what a performance it was from him. He completed four clearances, three interceptions, three tackles, and three aerial duels.
Ramos scored the penalty that gave Los Blancos the lead and capped off the game with a brilliant tackle on Lionel Messi. Ramos also played his 31st El Classico.
Ferland Mendy – 6.5/10
Ferland Mendy kept things simple as usual on his side of the pitch. Barcelona did not get much past him, and they tried to target Nacho in the first half and Lucas Vazquez in the second.
Mendy did get caught out of position a couple of times but covered well in the follow-up. The former Lyon man did not lose possession once and completed three dribbles to get progress the ball forward.
Midfielders
Casemiro – 7/10
Casemiro is still not at his best, but he managed to put in a reliable performance as a single pivot. He is yet to reach the peak of his production from last season, especially with the ball on his feet.
However, he continues to provide vital obstacles to shut down the opponents. He won three tackles, completed two clearances, and two interceptions in the match.
Fede Valverde – 8/10
Valverde was one of the best Real Madrid player in the first half. He had an excellent presence both in attack and defense. The Uruguayan opened the scoring for Los Blancos, his first El Classico goal in Camp Nou, after making a fantastic run and a brilliant finish to follow. Valverde got substituted in the 67th minute because of a knock.
Toni Kroos – 9/10
Toni Kroos looked back to his best against the Blaugranas. He controlled the game brilliantly, had the most touches in the match, and completed 94% of his passes. He was imperious in the center of the pitch.
The German sniper was unfortunate not to have at least a goal or an assist in the game. Kroos squared the ball to Benzema only for the Frenchman effort to go straight at the keeper, and in the second half, Neto made a brilliant save from close range to deny the World Cup winner.
The Real Madrid midfielder had five ball recoveries, created five chances, and won four tackles in the match per Squawka Football.
Forwards
Marco Asensio – 6.5/10
Asensio was invisible for the first 30 minutes of the match. He barely got involved. The Spaniard upped his intensity for the last 20 minutes and continued to get more on the ball. He also kept running up and down the pitch helping shutdown the right flank with Lucas Vazquez.
Karim Benzema – 6.5/10
Karim Benzema had an excellent first half and did well to create the pass for Valverde’s opener. He missed a golden opportunity to score himself when he shot a Toni Kroos pass straight at Neto.
However, the French forward went missing for large stretches of the second half. Benzema had fewer touches and fewer passes completed in the last 45 minutes.
Vinicius Junior – 4.5/10
It was a disappointing performance from the young Brazillian sensation. Vinicius struggle to get in the game, and he couldn’t pull off anything he was trying to do. He had multiple giveaways, bad passes, and poor decision making.
Real Madrid winger tried hard and got involved as much as possible. However, he wasn’t able to break the lines and create the danger we are so used to from him. He had a great chance to score and give Los Blancos a 2-0 lead early on, but he completely fluffed his effort. Vinicius completed zero dribbles in the 90 minutes.
Substitutes
Lucas Vazquez – 8/10
Lucas Vazquez coming in for Nacho was a game-changer for Real Madrid. Los Blancos were struggling in the first half to manage the right side of the field, and Vazquez’s entry solved the issue for Zidane.
The Spaniard had one of his best performances in the last few years. He tracked his marker well in defense, and he was an outlet in attack. Vazquez won four tackles, had three interceptions, and completed two key passes. It was a strong display by the Canterano.
Luka Modric – 7.5/10
Luka Modric replaced Valverde in the 67th minute and did not let Real Madrid miss the Uruguayans energy. The 35-year-old consistently got on the ball and got Los Blancos out of trouble.
He also scored a beautiful goal with the outside of his boot, giving Zidane’s team a 1-3 lead and putting the game to bed. The former Balon d’Or winner continues to be an indispensable member of Zidane’s squad.
Rodrygo – N/A
Rodrygo came in with only 10 minutes left on the clock but still managed to cause some trouble to Barcelona’s defense. He managed to complete three dribbles in 10 minutes. He also got the assist for Modric’s goal. The Brazillian did not spend enough time on the pitch to earn a rating.