Real Madrid defeated Barcelona in the 250th El Clasico to take control of La Liga and hand Barcelona their first league defeat of the season.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved Vinicius Jr’s shot into his path, allowing Karim Benzema to score Real’s first goal. Federico Valverde’s 20-yard drive before halftime doubled the champions’ lead.
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Ferran Torres equalized after Robert Lewandowski’s flick-on, but Rodrygo settled the score with a penalty. The rivals began the day with seven wins and a draw from their first eight games, but Real now leads by three points as they remain unbeaten.
Xavi suffered his first away La Liga defeat as Barcelona manager in nearly a year. Barcelona appeared to be on their way back to the top of Spanish football at the end of last season when they defeated Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu.
They took a risk in the summer by spending a large portion of their future earnings on signings. The club hoped it would result in immediate success, which would lead to increased earnings.
However, they face an early exit from the Champions League, demonstrating how far they have fallen behind their old rivals. This is only their first loss of the season, and they are still only three points out of first place in La Liga. But this is El Clasico, a game that managers cannot afford to lose.
Something for Xavi to consider is how much better they looked after bringing in youngsters like Ferran Torres, Gavi, and Ansu Fati. Before those introductions, Barcelona appeared to be down and out at 2-0. Torres scored his second Clasico goal of the season after Fati’s cross was flicked into his path.
During their brief hope of a point, Fati hit an acrobatic volley that went just wide – before Rodrygo settled the game. Last season, Benzema led Real Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga titles, earning him the Ballon d’Or.
However, he has had a slow scoring start to the season. His goal, which capped off a quick counter-attack, was only his fourth in La Liga this season.
The France international thought he had a fifth goal with a fine finish from outside the box in the second half, but he had not heard the whistle for offside as he celebrated with the home fans.
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Before Sunday’s game, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who is 34 years old like Benzema, was in top form. The two-time FIFA Men’s Player of the Year scored nine goals in his first eight La Liga games after joining from Bayern Munich in the summer.
But he lacked Benzema’s clinical finishing this time. Most notably, he slid a close-range cross over an empty net and drilled a free-kick straight into the wall. The Pole will score many more goals this season, but Benzema has demonstrated that he is still the best striker in El Clasico.
