Barcelona clashed heads with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium earlier tonight hoping to stretch their lead at the top of the La Liga table by emerging victorious in El Clasico. The Catalans dominated the game but couldn’t capitalise on their goal-scoring chances in the first half.
However, the home side came back stronger after the half-time break and finally managed to make the breakthrough in the 71st minute via Vinicius Junior’s goal. Mariano came off the bench to put the icing on the cake in injury-time when he found the back of the net with an incredible solo effort. The match ended with Quique Setien’s men suffering a 2-0 loss in the Spanish capital.
Let’s take a look at how each Barcelona player fared during the contest against Los Blancos.
GK: Marc-André ter Stegen – 6/10
The German keeper made an incredible one-handed save to deny Isco from scoring in the second half. However, he will be disappointed after conceding two goals in the final 20 minutes of the game.
RB: Nelson Semedo – 6.5/10
He was responsible for making some vital tackles throughout the 90 minutes. He was bright in the first half, but his performance levels faded after the half-time break.
CB: Samuel Umtiti – 5/10
The French defender distributed the ball accurately and was solid at the back. But Umtiti ran out of gas towards the end of the game when he was beaten too easily by Mariano, who made the points secured for Zinedine Zidane’s side with a clinical finish.
CB: Gerard Pique – 7/10
The Spanish defender managed to keep Isco and Karim Benzema in check and made some important defensive contributions at the back. However, Pique squandered a great opportunity to score when he failed to keep his header on target.
LB: Jordi Alba – 5/10
The Spaniard got cautioned early on and put in a disappointing display during the game. Offensively, he made just one good chance for Griezmann, who failed to find the finishing touch in the final third.
CDM: Sergio Busquets – 5/10
The Spaniard kept things ticking in midfield throughout the first half. However, his impact on the field faded as the match progressed in the second period.
CM: Arthur – 6/10
He started the game well and looked inventive when in possession of the ball. However, he struggled to get going in the final quarter of the contest and had to be replaced.
LM: Frenkie de Jong – 6/10
The Dutch playmaker showed some glimpses of his technical brilliance during the game but found life difficult playing on the left side of the Barca midfield.
RM: Arturo Vidal – 6/10
He worked his socks and was ready to battle for every loose possession in midfield. He ran out of energy and was replaced in the 80th minute.
ST: Antoine Griezmann – 6/10
The French forward squandered an excellent scoring opportunity in the first half. However, there were a lot of positive signs in his overall build-up play.
ST: Lionel Messi – 5.5/10
The Argentine maestro hardly got a chance during the match as the Madrid defenders did not give him any breathing room.
Substitutes:
ST: Martin Braithwaite – 6/10
He almost got on the scoresheet after coming off the bench but was denied by some resolute Madrid defending.
CM: Ivan Rakitic – N/A
The Croatian midfield ace had very little time to make an impact.
LM: Ansu Fati – N/A
He was Setien’s last throw of the dice late in the game.
