Barcelona looked superior to their opponents, Real Madrid, in every department, at least in the first half of the El Clasico played at Nou Camp. The Blaugrana went onto score two goals in the first half to bog down their arch-rivals and took advantage of their defensive lapses in the second half as well to get the ball into the back of the net three times more to complete a 5-1 routing of Real Madrid.
The Galacticos looked entirely out of sorts in the first half. In the second half, however, they tried to revive some pride with a solo goal from Marcelo, which was not good enough for Real Madrid. Barcelona went onto win the match 5-1 with a hat-trick from Luis Suarez and goals from Philippe Coutinho and Arturo Vidal.
Here is how the Barcelona players were rated from their win against Real Madrid.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen: 6
Had a busier second half compared to the first one. Could have had a clean sheet but for the solo goal from Marcelo that spoilt the evening for him.
Jordi Alba: 7
Continued to distract the Real defenders with his darting runs down the left-hand side and came close to scoring goals on a few occasions.
Gerard Pique: 7
Good outing for the Barcelona defensive ace as he kept the opposition attackers quiet for most of the night.
Clement Lenglet: 6
Did well to partner Pique in defending against the Madrid attackers in the first half. Had a shaky second half.
Sergi Roberto: 7
Was in sublime form, especially in the second half as he assisted Suarez twice in completing his hat-trick.
Ivan Rakitic: 7
Was agile as ever in the midfield and passed the ball in the right areas.
Sergio Busquets: 6
Another calm and composed performance from the stand-in captain.
Arthur: 7
Reminded of Xavi and Iniesta with his first touch play and subtle movements.
Rafinha: 6
Ran up and down the pitch to help his teammates evade any danger.
Philippe Coutinho: 7
Another superb performance from the Brazilian maestro as he joined the party with a brilliant goal.
Luis Suarez: 9
Outstanding performance from the striker as he took the responsibility to wreck the Real defence in the absence of Messi.
Substitutes
Nelson Semedo: 6
Played his part well. Could have made it 6-1 in the dying moments of the match.
Ousmane Dembele: 5
Did not have the best of games.
Arturo Vidal: 6
Put the last nail in Real’s coffin with his perfect header, making it 5-1 on the evening.
