Real Madrid were put to the sword inside the raucous Santiago Bernabeu by a risk-taking Barcelona thanks to a second-half brace from Robert Lewandowski, the spearhead of La Liga’s table toppers. The latter ran out 4–0 victors in this season’s first El Clasico.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men started on the front foot but saw a myriad of chances go a-begging in the affair’s opening stages with both Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr dragging plenty of shots wide or clipping them above the upright.
Despite Mbappe, 25, managing to find the back of the net before his effort was chalked off for offside, there was nothing to separate the two sides as they trudged down the tunnel for half-time.
Hansi Flick and his entourage would have entered the break as the much happier camp given the score remained 0-0, while Ancelotti’s men were ruing a glut of chances that they failed to convert with Barcelona’s high-line not playing into their hands.
The talismanic Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 53rd minute after latching onto a ball from Marc Casado. Continuing the Pole’s red-hot form in front of goal by adding his 16th strike of the season in all competitions, he curled his long-range effort past a flailing Andriy Lunin with ease.
Seasoned as you like, the centre forward then nodded home his 17th. Meeting Lamine Yamal’s inviting cross, the 36-year-old, who was left unmarked with acres of space, reacted the quickest to the flight of the ball to compile misery on the host’s chances of getting back into the game.
Yamal, becoming the youngest player to score in an El Clasico, then grabbed his side’s third with an emphatic finish into the top of the net. Leaving the crowd in a respective mix of jubilation and confusion, the generational talent thought he had completed an absolute rout with a near post finish.
That was until Raphinha turned up. Running into a delightful ball over the top, the in-form Brazilian produced a deft chip over the top of a marauding Lunin, compiling the final slice of misery on Ancelotti and Co.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona – Match Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
Real Madrid | Statistic | Barcelona |
42 | Possession (%) | 58 |
9 | Shots | 15 |
4 | Shots on Target | 7 |
10 | Corners | 3 |
3 | Saves | 4 |
2 | Yellow Cards | 5 |
Match Highlights
Real Madrid Player Ratings
GK – Andriy Lunin – 2/10
One of his most notable flaws is picking up shots from distance – but overall, the Ukrainian, once again, filled in relatively well for Courtois in the game’s early stages. Conceded four as his deficiencies were exploited.
RB – Lucas Vazquez – 3/10
Featuring in the absence of the injured Dani Carvajal, the skipper did not cover himself in glory with quite the underwhelming display.
CB – Eder Militao – 5/10
Produced plenty of game-saving moments in the first half – most notably, his block to prevent an easy squared ball for Barca. Was imposing from an aerial standpoint but was nowhere to be seen for Lewandowski’s second goal.
CB – Antonio Rudiger – 5/10
Somehow, Rudiger escaped receiving a yellow card in the first half but was imperious in his defending until Lewandowski turned up. Dismantled in the latter stages of the encounter.
LB – Ferland Mendy – 5/10
Very shaky with the ball at his feet, with the Frenchman almost scared to play an infield pass. His lack of variety hampered Madrid’s build-up play.
CM – Aurelien Tchouameni – 4/10
Took too many touches on the ball in what can be considered a poor display from the 24-year-old.
CM – Federico Valverde – 4/10
Uncharacteristically, the Uruguayan was way too slow in possession of the ball and slowed down Madrid’s transitional play.
CM – Eduardo Camavinga – 6.5/10
Putting in an all-action performance, Camavinga was Madrid’s leading light in the midfielder and he was, unfortunately, not helped by his fellow men in the engine room.
CAM – Jude Bellingham – 4/10
Bellingham enjoyed a domineering start to proceedings but quickly dwindled into obscurity.
ST – Vinicius Jr – 4/10
On the back of his pulsating three-goal haul against Dortmund, the leading Ballon d’Or contender caused all manner of problems for the young Cubarsi in the game’s early stages but was unable to add the finishing touch to Madrid’s copious number of chances.
ST – Kylian Mbappe – 2/10
Playing in his first El Clasico, Mbappe was evidently not at the races. He’s struggled to get up to speed with the Spanish game since signing for Los Blancos in the summer – and that showed against the high line of Barca.
Sub – Luka Modric – 4/10
Officially the oldest player in Madrid history, Modric was introduced to add a layer of expertise and poise in the centre of the park.
Sub – Brahim Diaz – 3/10
Hardly made an impact on the game.
Sub – Francisco Garcia – 3/10
Helpless in his short cameo.
Barcelona Player Ratings
GK – Inaki Pena – 6/10
GK – Inaki Pena – 6/10Somewhat erratic with his passing, fans will continue to yearn for the return of Ter Stegen. His confidence grew as the time ticked down with him making plenty of memorable saves.
RB – Jules Kounde – 6/10
A much brighter display to his one mid-week, Kounde often hugged the touchline to provide width and offer himself as an out ball for Barcelona’s defensive line.
CB – Pau Cubarsi – 7/10
A nervy start for the 17-year-old, Cubarsi struggled with the sheer pace of Madrid’s forward line but still held his own against the likes of Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
CB – Inigo Martinez – 7/10
An organised performance next to a lad 16 years his junior, Inigo Martinez’s classy performance should not go under the radar thanks to the brilliance of Cubarsi.
LB – Alejandro Balde – 5/10
A lot of heavy touches and misplaced passes saw Madrid’s forwards enjoy a lot of joy down their right-hand side. Produced a much more inspiring second-half display.
CM – Pedri – 8/10
A tough tackler for someone of his stature, the Spaniard’s long-range strike stung the gloves of Lunin in the 28th minute. A genuine beast at covering ground, Pedri put in a solid performance.
CM – Marc Casado – 6/10
Fierce in his early duels, Casado put in, yet another, impressive performance in the Barcelona engine room but was often wasteful in his passing. Still, a solid display.
CAM – Fermin Lopez – 4/10
Such close control allowed him to worm out of the tightest of spaces against the likes of Tchouameni and Camavinga. That said, he was largely ineffectual in his efforts to maraud forward. Hooked at the interval.
RW – Lamine Yamal – 7/10
Enduring mixed success with his shots, Yamal endured a first half to forget with him unable to reach his natural heights. Delivered a pinpoint ball for Lewandowski’s second of the affair and became much brighter when the visitors were in charge of the scoreline.
ST – Robert Lewandowski – 9/10
Largely anonymous in the first stage with just over 10 touches to his name, Lewandowski’s goalscoring exploits were contained by Militao and Rudiger. But then the inevitable happened – he notched two in quick succession.
LW – Raphinha – 6.5/10
Relatively quiet after his hat-trick display against Bayern Munich, Raphinha failed to make any decent in-behind runs when Balde had the ball early on but came to life in the second half, adding Barcelona’s fourth with an adept chip.
Sub – Frenkie de Jong – 6/10
Introduced at the interval, perhaps because of his ball-carrying qualities, de Jong also provided the league leaders’ defence with a layer of protection with his work ethic.
Sub – Dani Olmo – 5/10
The platinum-haired Olmo was given 25 minutes of regulation time to stamp his authority on the fixture with his side already two goals to the good. A composed cameo.
Sub – Gavi – 3/10
Eased into proceedings after a long-term injury, Gavi received an overwhelming ovation when introduced.
Man of the Match
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
To score once in an El Clasico encounter is a dream that many have, but Lewandowski, being the leading marksman that he is, managed to do that twice – and even better, it happened in a matter of minutes. A manager’s dream, the enigmatic Poland international has been scoring goals like it’s going out of fashion since the 2024/25 campaign got underway.
He may have missed a sitter to join an exclusive club of hat-trick grabbers in such a memorable tie – but are we going to let that cloud over his two-goal performance? Not at all. When Flick and Co were in need of a layer of brilliance in front of goal, the experienced Lewandowski stepped up to the plate. Perhaps Mbappe could learn a thing or two from the ex-Bayern Munich man in terms of finishing chances.