Real Madrid successfully held on to their number one spot in La Liga as they defeated their arch rivals Barcelona by two goals to one during Sunday’s encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It was arguably one of best games played by Los Blancos under their new manager Xabi Alonso as they were completely in control of the game throughout the ninety minutes plus added time played at the Spanish capital.
Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham were the scorers for Real Madrid but the pressing game played by the whole team needs to be appreciated as Barca failed to create any threatening chances despite having more possession than their counterparts.
We at Just FTBL will be rating Alonso’s men in this article, please feel free to share your opinion on the following :
El Clasico : Real Madrid player ratings during their 2-1 victory
Thibaut Courtois- 6
The Real Madrid number one was not really called into action other than the goal scored by Fermin Lopez, where Courtois couldn’t have done much to prevent Barca from scoring.
Federico Valverde- 6.5
Played his part brilliantly in a position which is not his natural one and his tireless runs down the flanks were a testament of his commitments towards his team.
Eder Militao – 7
Militao had a solid outing with his inch perfect tackles in defence and as he knocked down his header on to Bellingham’s legs for Madrid’s second goal shows his value not only in defence but also during attacks.
Dean Huijsen – 6.5
The Spanish centre back came back from an injury and was included into the starting lineup right away but he rose up to the occassion and was the perfect partner for Militao and Carreras as Real stopped Lamine Yamal in his tracks.
Alvaro Carreras – 7
It was not Carreras’ best performance till date but he was fantastic in defence till the final whistle blew as he completely kept Yamal under his leash for the whole ninety minutes.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 7
The Frenchman worked as a silent guardian during Los Blancos’ victory with winning the 50-50 balls while soaking up the pressure before it reached the Madrid defence reminding the fans of Casemiro’s best days in Royal White colours.
Eduardo Camavinga: 7.5
This was a rare instance of Camavinga starting, but it paid off well. He played incredibly in this El Clasico. Whether it was dribbling past opponents or closing down spaces, the Frenchman was involved in everything. In fact, Real Madrid looked like a more balanced side with Camavinga in the lineup.
Arda Guler: 7
It was a mixed bag for Guler in this matchup. This isn’t to say he played badly, but his lack of experience showed at times. The 20-year-old played some good passes and did his defensive duties well, except for one instance when he lost the ball while trying to dribble out instead of clearing it, which would have been the wiser choice. This mistake resulted in Barcelona’s only goal. Nevertheless, it will serve as a valuable learning experience for the youngster, who is having an impressive season overall.
Jude Bellingham: 8
This game was a Bellingham masterclass. Having returned from injury not too long ago, the Englishman played a fantastic match. He set up Mbappe for Real Madrid’s first goal with an exquisite pass and scored the second himself after Vinicius’ cross into the box was headed toward him by Militao. Additionally, he helped out in defense whenever needed and completed a number of recoveries.
Vinicius Junior: 7.5
Vini is back in the headlines for both the right and wrong reasons. On one hand, he had one of his best matches of the season, terrorizing the Barca defence, but on the other, he had a brief fit of rage when subbed off by Alonso in the second half. Nevertheless, the Brazilian played a crucial role in setting up the winning goal after dribbling down the left flank and delivering a cross into the box. He was probably the best player on the pitch during the first half of the matchup.
Kylian Mbappe: 7.5
Mbappe had a near-perfect matchup this time around against Barcelona. He was back on the scoresheet with one goal, which could easily have turned into a hat-trick if not for a few missed chances. The Frenchman failed to convert a penalty, but Real Madrid managed to hold on to their 2-1 lead, so it didn’t matter much in the end.
The substitutes also played their part brilliantly as the likes of Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo, Dani Ceballos and Carvajal synced brilliantly to the situation of the game and kept Barca quiet for the rest of the match as Real Madrid picked up all three points against their rivals.