Real Madrid pulled in a great finale to a great week, beating Barcelona in the Clásico at Camp Nou, off the back of a 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday. A delightful goal from Alaba, bagging his first goal in an official match for the Whites to put Ancelotti's side in front before Lucas Vázquez's late strike sealed the win for the visitors before Agüero reduced the deficit deep in to added time.
It was the 5th match in row between Real and Barca where the white team manages to get at least a point. The last three matches on Camp Nou have spoken about Madrid with two wins and one draw. With this victory, Ancelotti’s team moved five points ahead of Barcelona in LaLiga. On the pitch, the team directed by the Italian boss were solid in the defence, clinical in attack and secured their fourth consecutive win in el Clásico (home & away matches included).
The first threatening move came just over 20 minutes into the match as the visitors had a big shout for a penalty after Vini Jr. was brought down by Mingueza, but the officials didn’t award anything. Barcelona responded and had a chance to take the lead with 25 minutes on the clock in a one-on-one, but Dest shot over when closing in on Courtois.
The first goal came seven minutes later when Alaba broke on a counter-attack after winning the ball back from deep, he played in Vinicius Jr. who switched play with a precise long pass to Rodrygo, who laid the ball off for Alaba, who cut inside the box and fired home with a well-struck left-footed shot. Real Madrid went in at the break a goal to the good, despite Piqué having the chance to draw level in the 35th minute with an effort that went narrowly wide from a Memphis corner.
El Clásico was proving to be a hard-fought contest and that again proved to be the case after the restart. Madrid looked to make the most of their pace as the spaces began to open up and came close to doubling the advantage on 62’. A delicious lofted pass from Luka Modrić found Karim Benzema, whose snapshot was gathered in by Ter Stegen. The minutes continued to tick by and Barcelona went in search of an equaliser, with Dest’s left-footed piledriver from the edge of the area flying wide of the target.
From that point on and up until the final whistle, Real Madrid looked very solid defensively and worked well as a unit right across the pitch. Lucas Vázquez put the result beyond the hosts’ reach when he gobbled up the rebound after Ter Stegen could only parry Marco Asensio’s effort, whilst Agüero reduced the arrears with the very last move of the match.
After the match, Carletto spoke in front of the media and looked very pleased with the result. However he stated that the match will only give three points like every other match but the advantage of winning against a rival of this dimensions stands in the fact that it gives the team a great boost in the psychological aspect.
"The performance was clever and solid. We were very good defensively. We were able to play out from the back in the first half, we misplaced some passes but looked good on the counter-attack. We have quality in the team and we have to enjoy the win. I'm happy with the three points as it was a difficult match. Barcelona didn't make things easy, it wasn't a straightforward win", Carletto said.
Then he added: "I'm happy to get the win because the Clásico is the most important game. We beat them here, we're happy, but unfortunately it's only three points. I don't like to speak about the other team, we came out and played well, and Barcelona, as I said before, put in a good performance and you can't fault them for anything".
Changes: "Courtois had some pain and it looked like it could be something serious. He felt fine afterwards, it was time to make the last change and I had to wait in case I needed to change him instead of changing Carvajal. He was fine in the end and we got on with it. Alaba's not normally there when he plays as a centre-back. He strikes the ball really well, he found space and finished very well".
“At this moment in time, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. are both starters. The players are used to playing, particularly the three midfielders. Rodrygo and Vini Jr are doing a great job, both offensively and defensively, as is Asensio, who produced a fantastic bit of play and had a hand in the goal. The squad is in very good shape and the players are keen to play and that's all positive”, he continued.
Competing in Europe: “We're capable of competing. The team is very solid and our aim is to become more solid as we move forward. That's what we plan to do, but we have to remember that we came up against a great team who put in a superb performance. We had to dig in, but we were able to do that together, and we didn't lose control of the game when we didn't have the ball and that’s also a positive”.
Second-half showing and Valverde’s knock: “As I said, I've always got that fear. It's not something that terrorises me. Barça really pushed hard in the second half. We were disciplined in our own box and did well and they scored with the last move of the game when everyone thought that it was already over, which wasn't the case. The game is only over when the referee blows his whistle”, the Italian coach concluded.
Player ratings are as follows:
Starting XI:
Thibaut Courtois: 6.0
Sloppy with the ball at his feet. Overhit a right footed lobbed pass to Lucas Vazquez and put Militao in tough situations under pressure. Never really troubled by Barcelona other than the shot Dest skied over the bar.
Lucas Vazquez: 7.0
Awful start to the game, passing the ball out of bounds twice and committing late tackles on Fati and Memphis, but like so many others weathered the nervy start and grew into the match. His second half was brilliant and scored the game-winning goal to mark the performance.
Eder Militao: 6.5
Turned by Memphis in the first half leading to the huge miss by Sergino Dest. Despite a few poor gambles, timed most of his interceptions well and did fairly well with the ball under pressure.
David Alaba: 9.0
An absolute monster and a player that is quickly earning the right to wear Real Madrid’s #4. Scored a golazo — starting the play by winning the ball off Memphis just outside the box and then sprinting 90 yards up the field to bullet a ball into the upper 90. Also, had a decisive block in the box on an Ansu Fati shot in the first half
Ferland Mendy: 7.0
No joy whatsoever for Dest or Gavi with Ferland Mendy at left back. Only time he was beaten was in the 90+ minute for Dest assist to Aguero.
Casemiro: 5.5
Very poor on-ball performance, with no less than 4 misplaced passes within Real Madrid’s half in the opening 45 minutes. But with Casemiro it is always a cost-benefit analysis, and his defensive interventions and doubling down on the wings were crucial to keeping Barca at bay.
Luka Modric: 7.0
Carlo asked too much of the Croatian with central midfielder tasked with tracking both Busquets and Frankie De Jong depending on where the ball was on the pitch. Had a good battle with Frankie De Jong and on multiple occasions was the saving grace for Militao and Vazquez to be their out ball when under pressure in the back.
Toni Kroos: 8.5
Without a doubt, one of the best players on the pitch. His cool and calm composure during high stakes matches provides the team with a breather and allows them to find their shape and retain possession for larger stretches.
Rodrygo Goes: 6.5
Like many other Madrid players, had a tough time getting into the match early on, but his role gradually grew as the match wore on. Was crucial in the Alaba goal, grabbing an assist for the second year running at the Camp Now.
Vinicius JR: 9.0
Absolutely devastating on the counter attack. Mingueza and Eric Garcia had a torrid time dealing with the young Brazilian. His confidence was sky high and no Barcelona player could get near him. Four completed dribbles and was fouled six times — both game highs.
Karim Benzema: 6.5 Entered the game slowly, but gradually made his mark dropping deep to connect the midfield and attack. Managed 2 key passes and combined well with the likes of Modric and Vinicius Junior. Had one of the best opportunities of the game after receiving a ball in the box from Modric, but his volley was right at Ter Stegen.
Subs:
Fede Valverde: N/A
Had to substitued off just after coming on due to a clash of heads with Gerard Pique.
Marco Asensio: 7.0
Had one transition moment and he took advantage of it. Used his speed to take advantage of the whole in the Barcelona backline. Drove towards goal and unleashed a shot that Ter Stegen could only parry, with Lucas Vazquez bundling the goal in via a slide tackle.
Dani Carvajal: N/A
Played last five minutes to close out the game.
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