Real Madrid did it again, claiming victory in the "Clasico" for the fourth consecutive time by defeating their rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Sunday at their home ground "Camp Nou" during the tenth round of La Liga. Despite this victory, the top spot remained with Real Sociedad, which squandered a 2-0 lead at Atletico Madrid, ending with a 2-2 draw.
The Spanish newspaper "Marca" noted that Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior delivered an astonishing performance in the first half, demonstrating that he is a successor to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as a pivotal figure in the Clasico. It added, "The Brazilian international was the standout player in the Clasico due to his speed, dribbling skills, and ability to outmaneuver opponents in one-on-one situations... Barcelona’s defense struggled to contain him from start to finish."
The Royal Club owes its triumphant return from its Catalan rival's ground twice in a row, marking only the third time in its history (the first two being in 1929 and 1930, and between 1963 and 1965 when they won three consecutive times at their rival’s ground), to the new Austrian recruit David Alaba, who scored the first goal in the 32nd minute, and Lucas Vazquez, who scored the second in stoppage time (90+4).
Substitute Argentine newcomer Sergio Aguero reduced the deficit (90+7) but could not prevent the defeat for the Catalan club, which was playing its first Clasico since Messi’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid increased the pressure on Dutch coach Ronald Koeman by defeating the Catalan club with two goals from quick counter-attacks that began in their own half. With this third defeat in the Clasico, Koeman has become only the second coach in the history of the Catalan club to lose his first three matches against the Royal rival, following Irishman Patrick O'Connell between 1935 and 1940. Meanwhile, Real has achieved its best winning streak against its rival since 1965 when it secured its seventh consecutive victory over the "Blaugrana," which included one cup win and six league victories.
After their second loss of the season, Barcelona finds itself stuck in ninth place with 15 points, having a postponed match against Sevilla. In contrast, Carlo Ancelotti's team advanced to second place in the standings, tied on points with Sevilla, which won against Levante 5-3 on Sunday, following their previous defeat against another Catalan team, Espanyol, 1-2.
After the victory, Ancelotti expressed his happiness for the win, adding, "But it’s only three points. We played a pragmatic match with great intelligence. Defensively, we were very solid." He emphasized the "necessity to leverage this team’s capabilities," stating, "I believe we can compete against anyone. Yes, the team is very solid." Ancelotti noted that his team "suffered, but we were able to cope with the suffering. Even without the ball, we maintained control of the match. This is also a point of strength."
This match marks the fifth consecutive game that Barcelona has failed to win against its rival, dating back to a goalless draw at home in December 2019. Their last victory at "Camp Nou" was on October 28, 2018, when they defeated their rival 5-1.
This defeat adds to the struggles of the Catalan team in the Champions League, where they achieved their first win only on Wednesday against Dynamo Kyiv with a narrow 1-0 victory after humiliating defeats against Bayern Munich and Benfica with a score of 3-0.
Neither team produced significant threats at the beginning of the match, with Barcelona having the upper hand. However, danger arose from the 21st minute when Junior thought he had earned a penalty after being fouled by Oscar Mingueza, but the referee ordered play to continue (21). Later, he broke through against German goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen due to a remarkable individual effort, but was thwarted by Ter Stegen’s brilliance (24).
Barcelona responded when Memphis Depay dribbled down the left before crossing the ball to American Sergiño Dest, who unfortunately sent it over the bar (25).
From a quick counter-attack starting from the outskirts of the Royal club's area, Ancelotti's men managed to score in the 32nd minute with a brilliant goal from Alaba, who received the ball from Brazilian Rodrygo, advanced, and unleashed a shot from outside the area into the top corner—the former Bayern Munich fullback found the net in his first appearance in the Clasico.
Ancelotti praised his Austrian fullback, who found the net for the first time in 11 matches he has played so far in all competitions with the Royal team, saying, "As usual, he was in the right place. He found the space and played very well."
The score remained unchanged until the end of the first half, then Barcelona started the second half with more pressure while Real relied on counter-attacks, which were dangerous thanks to Vinicius Junior's runs.
Real continued to pose threats, with Frenchman Karim Benzema coming close to scoring if not for Ter Stegen’s remarkable goalkeeping (62). Despite a few chances from both sides, the score remained the same until the fourth minute of stoppage time, when Real seized a second goal through a quick counter-attack starting from their own area. The ball reached substitute Marco Asensio, who advanced and shot at Ter Stegen, but the ball fell in front of Vazquez, who put it in the net (90+4).
As the referee prepared to blow the final whistle, Aguero, who came on in the 74th minute, managed to reduce the gap with a pass from Dest (90+7).
**Suarez Saves Atletico**
In the capital city, Uruguayan Luis Suarez saved his team Atletico Madrid from a certain loss against Sociedad by scoring two goals (61 and 77 from a penalty) to compensate for falling behind 2-0 to the guests with goals from Norwegian Alexander Sorloth (7) and Swedish Alexander Isak (48).
Atletico raised its tally to 18 points in fourth place, avoiding a second consecutive defeat at home in the Wanda Metropolitano after losing 2-3 in the Champions League on Tuesday against English Liverpool, which was their first home loss in all competitions in nearly four years.
Before the Clasico and the capital clash between Sociedad and Atletico, Sevilla temporarily topped the standings with a thrilling 5-3 win against visiting Levante. Sevilla seemed headed for an easy win when they led 2-0 and then 4-1, but the visitors rallied and complicated matters for coach Julen Lopetegui's team by reducing the deficit to 3-4. However, Brazilian Fernando Reges dashed their hopes by sealing his team’s third consecutive victory over their rivals with a fifth goal in the 64th minute.
