Barcelona vs Real Madrid result: Player ratings as visitors secure huge El Clasico victory
Madrid picked up a 3-1 win over their rivals to go top of La Liga
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Real Madrid emerged victorious from El Clasico against Barcelona at an empty Camp Nou on Saturday.
Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scored to give Real Madrid the lead, but it was quickly cancelled out by 17-year old Ansu Fati.
The Spanish teenager’s goal made him the youngest ever goalscorer in El Clasico history, but Ramos’ penalty gave Madrid the lead in the second half – and they held on, with Luka Modric netting in the final moments to seal the victory.
The win sees Real Madrid go top of La Liga, opening up a two-point lead over Real Sociedad and Villareal.
Meanwhile, Barcelona slip to tenth – albeit with a game in hand – as Lionel Messi is now six games without a goal against Real Madrid.
Barcelona:
Neto – 5. Most of Madrid’s efforts on goal were fired straight at him, and there was little he could do about Valverde’s opener. Came close to stopping the penalty, and made a brilliant double save late on, but also made a vital error that contributed to a goal.
Sergino Dest – 7. The American international looked comfortable throughout, with Vinicius struggling to impact the game. Dest was solid both offensively and defensively in an encouraging performance.
Clement Lenglet – 4. He was caught out several times, and foolishly fouled Ramos for the penalty.
Gerard Pique – 6. After the whirlwind start, Pique started to settle into the game and kept Madrid quiet.
Jordi Alba – 8. A fine performance by Alba, who rolled back the years with a classic outing. The Spaniard bombed up and down the left, and excellently assisted Fati for the equaliser.
Sergio Busquets – 6. The veteran kept Barcelona ticking, but he didn’t stay with the run of Valverde for the Uruguayan’s opening goal.
Frenkie De Jong – 5. A quiet game for De Jong, who seemed to suffer from the deep play of Coutinho and Messi. He was dominated by Kroos, but was better in the second half.
Pedri – 6. Whilst Pedri should be commended for becoming the second-youngest player in El Clasico history, it wasn’t a performance to remember as the 17-year old was quiet throughout.
Philippe Coutinho – 6. The Brazilian failed to impact the game how he would have wanted, and he perhaps should have scored early in the second half.
Ansu Fati – 7. Fati was brilliant in the first half, and continues to live up to the enormous hype. He was a threat throughout, and scored the equaliser when he turned in Alba’s cross.
Lionel Messi – 7. The Argentine magician played a brilliant through ball to Alba, who set up Fati for the equaliser. Almost scored a brilliant goal after spinning Ramos.
Substitutes:
Antoine Griezmann – 6.
Ousmane Dembele – 6.
Francisco Trincao – 6.
Real Madrid:
Thibaut Courtois – 6. The Belgian had little to do, and was certainly not at fault for the equaliser.
Nacho – 5. He struggled against Fati before suffering an injury that ended his game prematurely.
Sergio Ramos – 8. He dealt with most of Barcelona’s attacks, and showed why he is so important to Madrid’s backline. Won and scored the winning penalty.
Raphael Varane – 7. The Frenchman is a calm, assured presence at proved it throughout, aside from a rash clearance that gave Barcelona the ball cheaply.
Ferland Mendy – 5. Mendy failed to deal with Dest, who seemed to get away down the right at will.
Casemiro – 6. The Brazilian may have had a chance to give Madrid the lead but he couldn’t control it well enough, and was stopped by Dest. A brilliant tackle stopped what seemed like a golden opportunity for Messi.
Toni Kroos – 8. The German dominated the first half, spraying the ball across the pitch and dominating the midfield third.
Federico Valverde – 7. The Uruguayan looked composed and excellently took his chance to open the scoring early.
Marco Asensio – 6. Quiet in the first half aside from a dangerous attacking run. Full of flicks and nice passes, but these didn’t amount to much.
Karim Benzema – 7. Benzema showed how important he is to Madrid, being at the heart of much of what Real did well. Perhaps he should have scored in the first half, but he set up Valverde’s goal instantly.
Vinicius Jr. – 6. Quiet for much of the game, and when he did escape Dest, had little end product.
Substitutes:
Lucas – 7. Defended impressively against the likes of Messi and Fati, more than holding his own.
Luka Modric – 7. Killed off the game with his late goal.
Rodrygo – 6.
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