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Real Madrid came out on top in the first El Clasico of the season, as goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, and Rodrygo helped them defeat Barcelona 3-1 in La Liga on Sunday night.
The hosts looked to be the better side from the get-go and drew first blood as Benzema opened the scoring in the 12th minute. They continued their dominant display after the first goal and doubled their lead thanks to a thumping finish from Valverde.
Barcelona were playing catch-up with the hosts in the initial stages of the game and it took them some time to make an impact on the proceedings. They did manage to finish the first half with better possession and more goal attempts but had nothing to show for it.
Benzema almost added a third goal for Madrid early on in the second half but he was ruled offside, albeit too late by the official. With a two-goal cushion, Madrid took their foot off the gas and Barca started to find their rhythm.
Second-half substitutes Gavi and Ansu Fati added a much-needed ferocity to their game and Barcelona managed to halve the deficit in the 83rd minute via another substitute, Ferran Torres.
Just as the visitors thought they had a fighting chance, Madrid were awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR check. Rodrygo, who had been on the pitch for just five minutes, was brought down by Eric Garcia. The young Brazilian converted from the spot, though Marc-André ter Stegen got something on the ball.
As Real Madrid open up a three-point lead over Barcelona at the top of the table with a convincing win, here we take a look at the five talking points.
#5 Barcelona's run of back-to-back clean sheets comes to an end against a clinical Real Madrid
Real Madrid produced a clinical display against their arch-rivals and scored three goals from just four shots on target. The home team looked to be the better-drilled side and Benzema's early goal only added to their confidence.
Barcelona had conceded just one goal in their previous eight La Liga games, keeping six clean sheets in a row. Their defense could not hold onto the clean sheet for more than 12 minutes against the reigning champions though. It seemed like nerves got the better of their defenders here.
They conceded three goals for the second time in three days after a 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League and will be looking to shore up their defense here.
#4 Real Madrid veterans ease past Barcelona's new-look squad
Carlo Ancelotti's squad included the likes of Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Dani Carvajal. All of them have rich experience in El Clasico and that showed here.
Benzema lived up to the pressure of the game and scored an early goal. He was very versatile in the final third and linked up well with his wingers. Modric displayed his silky skills and, at times, toyed with the Barcelona players with his simple yet effective backheels. He also boasted an impressive 97.1 percent pass success rate.
Kroos and Carvajal impressed with their defensive inputs and kept the visiting attackers at bay.
Barca players looked a bit unorganized and were casual with their distribution. Their passes were easily intercepted and they were also slow to react to Madrid's counter-attacks at times.
#3 Real Madrid extend their undefeated start to the 2022-23 campaign
Barcelona have been, probably, the toughest opponent yet for Real Madrid across all competitions this season, but they managed to ease past them with a dominant display.
With this home win, they extended their undefeated run across all competitions to 14 games, having found the back of the net in each of these matches.
It was a crucial win early on in the title race as well, because the Catalans had displaced Madrid from the pole position last week thanks to their better goal difference.
#2 Madrid cut off the supply to Robert Lewandowski, derailing Barcelona's attacking gameplan
Robert Lewandowski made some good runs in the final third but was not supplied with enough good passes to create any trouble for Madrid's defenders. He led the game in terms of total goal attempts, with six shots, but only a couple of them were on target.
He was credited with an assist for Ferran Torres' goal but Ansu Fati did all the hard work in the buildup. The Polish striker was let down by his teammates as he just did not see enough of the ball inside the final third to make a difference.
Madrid players were on their toes to ensure no through passes made their way past them but the passing from Barca players was sub-par near the box as is.
#1 El Clasico ends on a dramatic note with VAR awarding a penalty to Real Madrid right at the death
It's not an El Clasico without some drama and sure enough, there was a late VAR call to award Los Blancos a penalty after a questionable foul on Rodrygo in the game.
The timing of the penalty almost ensured a win for the hosts. Even if they had missed the penalty, not enough time would've been left on the clock for Blaugrana to score an equalizing goal.
Rodrygo restored his team's two-goal lead with a confident shot from the spot into the bottom-right corner of the goal. Ter Stegen got his gloves onto the ball but it was not enough to stop the effort from going in.
