With the La Liga title on the line, Real Madrid welcomed Barcelona to the Bernabeu, but the result was a 3-1 win for Los Blancos thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde, and Rodrigo.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid Highlights Today

Instead, Barcelona leaves Madrid with another black eye following their midweek Champions League disaster, which will certainly knock them out of Europe’s top competition. Xavi’s frustrations are amplified by the fact that the team’s defensive miscues against this team are eerily identical to those committed against Inter a few days earlier.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid Highlights Today

With the win, Real Madrid now leads by three points in the La Liga rankings and is in a position to win the league title. Barcelona now trails by a single goal heading into the Bernabeu match.

For Madrid, it was Karim Benzema who struck first, scoring the game-winning goal after only 12 minutes. He stepped aside to let others have the spotlight, and just after the half-hour mark, big-game star Federico Valverde increased the lead with a fantastic long-range shot.

Barcelona came out strong after halftime, but Real Madrid held on until Ferran Torres scored for the visitors to pull them within a goal, thanks in large part to the efforts of Ansu Fati. And yet, it was not to be, as Real Madrid cruised to a victory thanks to a questionable penalty goal from Rodrygo in extra time.

The Final Score of Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

Country 1H 2H Final

 

Real Madrid 2 1 3
Barcelona 0 1 1

Goals:
12th min — RMA — Karim Benzema
35th min — RMA — Federico Valverde
83rd min — BAR — Ferran Torres
90+1 min — RMA — Rodrygo (pen)

The Aftermath of The Match Between Real Madrid and Barcelona

El Clasico’s midfield duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Real Madrid’s two midfield players absolutely annihilated Barcelona’s middle third, demonstrating once again that they are timeless.

In the first goal, Toni Kroos played a key role by passing on a through ball despite being hauled back by a hapless Sergio Busquets. He completed 49 of 55 passes, 6 of 8 long passes, and 8 of 13 rushing attempts. While his on-ball opportunities were lesser, Luka Modric’s impact was not diminished. In the end, he was a perfect 33 for 34 in the passing department, including a perfect 2-0 on deep passes.

Both were vital in the first half as Real Madrid dominated Barcelona, limiting the Catalans’ scoring opportunities and making Busquets, Pedri, and de Jong chase the ball.

Barcelona’s defensive woes persist. It will take a lot of effort for Xavi to arrange his defence, which is plagued by injuries. The central pairing of Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia in the midst of the Barcelona defence was undone by routine errors.

Vertical through balls from Real Madrid slashed through Barcelona’s defensive line and found runners who slipped in behind the fullbacks. Both Kroos and Modric unlocked the Barcelona defence in this way, resulting in a number of scoring opportunities.

The Blaugrana, who had allowed only one goal in La Liga prior to Sunday, had their undefeated streak snapped on many occasions. Injuries to Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Hector Bellerin mean Xavi must make do with Garcia, Kounde, and Gerard Pique, and get them to perform better than they have in the past week.

How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

Country

Date

Time TV channel Streaming
USA Sun, Oct. 16 10:15 ET ESPN Deportes fuboTV, ESPN+
UK Sun, Oct. 16 15:15 ET Premier Sports 1, LaLigaTV Premier Player
Australia Mon, Oct. 17 01:15 AEST Optus Sport
Canada Sun, Oct. 16 10:15 ET TSN3 TSN
India Sun, Oct. 16 19:45 ET Sports18 Voot Select
New Zealand Mon, Oct. 17 03:15 NZST Sky Sports 7 beIN Sports beIN Sports Connect
Malaysia Sun, Oct. 16 22:15 MT beIN Sports beIN Sports
Singapore Sun, Oct. 16 22:15 SST beIN Sports beIN Sports, StarHub TV+