Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: Player Ratings

Barcelona had the honour of hosting the first El Clasico of the 2023/24 season as Real Madrid visited the Olympic Saint Montjuic in the hopes of extending their lead over their rivals on top of the table.

The Catalans lined up in a rather unconventional XI which looked like a 3-5-2, with Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde providing width as the wingbacks. Fermin Lopez, Ilkay Gundogan, and Gavi took hold of the midfield.

It was the treble-winner Gundogan from last season Ilkay Gundogan who proved to be the difference early on as a mistake from Aurelien Tchoumaeni and David Alaba ended up being costly.

Barça were evidently the better team through the game, hitting the post twice and controlling the tempo before Jude Bellingham’s sensational hit brought the scores level around the 70th-minute mark.

From thereon, it was mostly all Real Madrid, and they got their reward as Bellingham struck again in the 92nd minute to score the winner.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 8

Ter Stegen was flawless through the game, picking out the right passes and dealing with most of what was thrown his way. Could not do much about either goal.

Ronald Araujo: 8.5

An absolute demon defensively once again against Vinicius, Araujo was sensational through the game. Picked out a decent few passes for Cancelo and Ferran, too.

Andreas Christensen: 7.5

Christensen had a ton of responsibility playing in the middle of the backline, and did his job rather well. Did not complicate his role much, kept it neat and tidy even though he could not do much about the goal.

Inigo Martinez: 7.5

An incredible El Clasico debut for Inigo Martinez, who was faultless through the game. Kept Rodrygo and Carvajal quiet on the attack, and was an absolute homing missile with the ball at his feet. Came close to scoring, as well, hitting the post from a corner.

Was unlucky to have the ball bounce over him as Bellingham scored the winner.

Joao Cancelo: 8.5

Playing much higher today, Cancelo put in a tremendous shift before being substituted out. Acted as the perfect outlet for the defence, and also tucked in to help out the midfield, which was already without a natural no. 6.

Gavi: 9

Gavi wore his heart on his sleeve yet again, playing his 8th El Clasico at the age of 19. Was one of the best players, too, as all actions for Barcelona seemed to go through him.

Did pretty much everything you can expect from a box-to-box midfielder, including creating chances, last-man tackles, and controlling the tempo of the game like a seasoned veteran.

Ilkay Gundogan: 9

Another man of the match showing from Ilkay Gundogan, who was a beat or two ahead of every single player on the pitch. Despite not being a natural 6, he executed the role like a prime Sergio Busquets would, and even scored the opening goal of the game through sheer dedication.

Fermin Lopez: 7

Fermin Lopez was the surprise inclusion for the starting lineup, but did well to justify his inclusion in the team. He came very close to scoring a goal in the first half, hitting the post, and also created a lovely chance for Inigo, which also struck the woodwork.

Alejandro Balde: 6

Not Balde’s outing, especially offensively, as he failed to do anything meaningful with the ball despite entering the opposition box a fair few times.

Ferran Torres: 6

Ferran’s best contribution today was the NFL-esque tackle he made on Vinicius to stop a counterattack. Otherwise relatively isolated for most of the game.

Joao Felix: 8

Felix continues to impress for Barcelona, today playing off the striker in his favoured SS role. Orchestrated a bunch of attacks, and was a huge help in midfield, helping pacing up the game when needed.