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It was a new look El Clasico in which Barcelona emerged as the victors with a 3-0 score over a Real Madrid team moving into its post-Karim Benzema age. A lovely effort from Ousmane Dembele for the opener proved to be the eventual winner, but the match wasn't without worry for Barcelona. Vinicius Junior had plenty of chances to score starting atop the line alongside Rodrygo but couldn't finish his chances even crashing a penalty off of the crossbar. With the match winding down, Fermin Lopez scored a stunner from outside the box to ensure that Barcelona would remain undefeated in Clasicos taking place on US soil and Ferran Torres had lovely ball control to net Barcelona's third.

Barcelona are looking to defend their La Liga title while Real Madrid are retooling to not only replace Benzema but also to compete on all fronts after a disappointing season by their standards. With both teams using what can be considered close to their top lineups heading into the season, here are a few takeaways from the match.

The Vini-Rodrygo pairing needs work.

Real Madrid had their opportunities. Vini Jr had close to five chances to put the ball into the back of the net, but he missed the reliability of being able to cross the ball to a ruthless Benzema pulling his shots just wide again and again. With a combination of Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni behind them, there will be plenty of chances for the duo to finish, but they were going against one of the top keepers in the world Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and if a player isn't at the absolute top of their game, goals won't go in. And in this preseason game, they were not at the top of their game.

Creatively, Real Madrid had a great day outshooting Barcelona 25 to 12 and also having nine corners compared to Barcelona's four but Los Blancos hit the post five times in the match. That's how you end up with Madrid ahead in the xG tally 3.20 to 0.85 but losing the match comfortably.  This duo are at their best in space but as Barcelona can make the game compact, there were times when a more traditional striker would have come in handy. For now that role belongs to Joselu, who didn't do much after coming in in the 73rd mintue. If Real Madrid aren't able to secure a deal for Kylian Mbappe this season, a lot will be expected of their young forwards. But while this game wasn't their best showing, it is one that shows just how dangerous that Vini Jr and Rodrygo can be on their day.

Ter Stegen saves Barcelona

Named the man of the match after making five saves, ter Stegen was also saved by Los Blancos hitting the post in the match. While simplicity has been the name of Barcelona's games, they won't win many games that they allow 25 shots in, especially against Real Madrid. Going forward, Xavi can be happy with his team, but defensively, more is needed. New signings Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu were able to get minutes under their belts as they'll play important roles in helping replace Sergio Busquets, though concerningly Gundogan was forced off before halftime.

Barcelona relies heavily on wing play now, but being able to win the midfield battle is how they'll have to compete to be at their best in the Champions League. In a game that was closer than the final score would suggest, performances like this one won't see Barcelona advance in Europe. Last season Barcelona were able to win ugly in the league but if they're overrun in European play, those teams are good enough to find ways to win even if Barca has one of the best defenses in the world.

Checking in on Sergino Dest

It's an important summer for Dest to determine if he can be part of Xavi's squad and there's no bigger stage to announce yourself than El Clasico even in preseason. Matched against Vini Jr, after coming in in the second half, Dest wasn't able to keep up. While it's no easy task to stick with the Brazilian defensively, just making a few good defensive plays would've spoken volumes for Dest's development. It's up in the air on if he'll stick with Barcelona this season but matches like this one make it more likely that another loan will be in the cards for Dest. 

After what was a lost season of soccer last season between Barcelona and AC Milan, Dest can't afford the possibility of that happening again. If he does move, it has to be to the right club because his performances with the national team have already shown that when Dest is enjoying his environment, he can be an electric right back.