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Barcelona were humbled 3-1 by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga on Sunday, October 16. The result saw the visitors drop to second place with 22 points from nine games.
Barca entered this game on the back of three wins, two losses and a draw in their last six games. They narrowly edged Celta Vigo 1-0 in the league last time out and climbed to the top of the league on goal difference.
Robert Lewandowski was in stunning scoring form for the visitors in their last game as he scored a brace to snatch a last-minute draw. Xavi Hernandez fielded a strong lineup for the game, bringing in Jules Kounde for Gerard Pique.
Barcelona made a slow start to the game as they struggled to match Real Madrid's tempo in the opening stages. Raphinha made a positive start as he drove down the right flank, looking to take matters into his own hands. Sergio Busquets, too, looked composed and played a key anchoring role in midfield.
The visitors dominated possession in the first period but were in vain as the hosts snatched the lead. Karim Benzema scored the opening goal after 12 minutes following a rebound off the goalkeeper. Barcelona fell two goals behind before half-time as Federico Valverde scored emphatically from an assist by Ferland Mendy.
Despite eight shots, Barcelona only managed two on target as compared to three on target from four attempts by the hosts. Real Madrid led 2-0 at the break.
Manager Xavi Hernandez was unafraid to ring in the changes as he made several changes shortly after the restart. However, that did not help Barcelona's cause as they left it too late in the game to score. Robert Lewandowski provided an assist for substitute Ferran Torres to score after 83 minutes.
Real Madrid showed no signs of giving up as they continued to commit men forward to try and kill the game. They succeeded late in the game after Rodrygo earned a spot-kick. He stepped up and converted to make it 3-1 after 91 minutes, ending all hopes of a Barcelona fightback.
Barcelona simply did not have enough in their locker as Real Madrid secured a key 3-1 win. That said, let's take a look at how the visitors' players fared.
Barcelona Player Ratings
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 6/10
Ter Stegen made just one save from four shots on target by Real Madrid, conceding goals off the remaining attempts.
Sergi Roberto - 6/10
Roberto had a decent game on the right flank. He won one of his two duels and made two interceptions. He played one key pass and three accurate long balls.
Jules Kounde - 6.5/10
Kounde had a subpar game at the heart of Barcelona's defense. He won two of his three duels, made two tackles and blocked one shot.
Eric Garcia - 6/10
Eric Garcia put in another poor performance for Barca as he gave away a penalty in second-half stoppage time.
Alejandro Balde - 6.5/10
Balde put in a decent performance on the left flank. He won four of his seven duels and made three tackles. He also played one cross and one long ball.
Frenkie de Jong - 6.5/10
De Jong put in a decent performance in Barcelona's midfield. He won three of his five duels and played one key pass.
Sergio Busquets - 7/10
Busquets made a bright start to the game and looked good in midfield. He won six of his seven duels, making two interceptions and one clearance. He also played one key pass.
Pedri - 6.5/10
Pedri played for just over an hour and put in a decent performance.
Raphinha - 7.5/10
Raphinha was lively on the right flank and looked sharp with the ball at his feet. He played four key passes, one cross and attempted two shots. He won two of his three duels and created one big chance.
Ousmane Dembele - 6.5/10
He won seven of his 15 duels and played one accurate cross and one accurate long ball. He also attempted one shot that was off target.
Robert Lewandowski - 6.5/10
Lewandowski seemed to have left his shooting boots in Barcelona prior to this game. He attempted a total of six shots, with two on target, three off target and one blocked. He won four of his 12 duels and created one big chance.
Substitutes
Ferran Torres - 7/10
Torres replaced Raphinha in the second period and scored a goal to make it 2-1 after 83 minutes.
Gavi - 6/10
He came on for the second period and put in a decent performance, but was booked for a foul.
Jordi Alba - 6/10
Alba replaced Balde in the second period and put in a good performance.
Ansu Fati - 7/10
Fati replaced Dembele in the second half and put in a good performance.
Franck Kessie - 6/10
Kessie was brought on for the dying stages and did well.
