Real Madrid won the first El Clasico of the season 2-1 against Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday in a match where the goals took place in the first half and the serious tension in the second half with teams having to be separated following Pedri's second yellow for a dangerous tackle on Aurelien Tchouameni.
It was a difficult start to the game for the guests who were not able to counter the pressure of the home side in the Spanish capital. In the third minute in the game, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty for a foul of Lamine Yamal on Vinicius Jr, but after a VAR review, the referee overturned his decision and instead called an offensive foul against the home team. It didn't take too long for Xabi Alonso's side to score the first one with Kylian Mbappe, few minutes after the Frenchman saw his opening goal disallowed by offside.
Despite Real Madrid's dominance in the opening 45 minutes, Barcelona were able to find the equalizer through Fermin Lopez. Arda Guler lost the ball in a dangerous area, and Marcus Rashford quickly capitalized with a perfect assist for Fermin, who made it 1-1. A few minutes before halftime, Jude Bellingham's goal to make it 2-1 put the game back on track for the Spanish giants, who were able to keep the positive result in the second half also after missing a penalty via Mbappe, who saw his attempt saved by Wojciech Szczesny. This is a huge win for Real Madrid that are now leading the LaLiga standings with a five-point margin on the competitors. Meanwhile, Vinicius Jr. appeared unhappy with Alonso's decision to substitute him, heading straight to the dressing room before later returning to the sidelines. While the final result was positive, the incident could impact the atmosphere in the locker room as the season continues.
Lamine Yamal spoke too soon
Ahead of the Sunday's match, the tension was unnecessarily raised by the quotes of Lamine Yamal, who appearing on the YouTube channel for the Saudi Kings League, compared Porcinos FC to Real Madrid alongside former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. "They rob; they complain," Yamal said, referring to Real Madrid's responses to refereeing decisions, and Piqué added that, "It's not debatable."
Last season, Real Madrid went as far as to demand new officials for the Copa Del Rey final after the referees who were set to oversee the match, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea and Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, spoke out after receiving abuse ahead of the match, which included Real Madrid TV. Los Blancos claimed that speaking out would make the referees unbiased in their decisions. However, the pressure was on the Spanish star, who failed to perform at his usual level. After the final whistle, Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Jr appeared particularly frustrated with Yamal's display, but it was Dani Carvajal who confronted Yamal before the scuffle took place.
It's a lesson the young talent will need to keep in mind for the next time.
Real Madrid showed dominance
Looking at what happened on the pitch, the team coached by Xabi Alonso showed to be the best one and dominated in both first and second half. The Blancos were able to contain the attacking lineup of the guests, including Yamal, who looked isolated and unable to deploy his skills. Alonso's side displayed clear tactical superiority, despite conceding the 1-1 equalizer to Fermín following a rare mistake from Arda Guler this season, the only one of the match on Sunday. Looking ahead, Real Madrid can now count on a five-point advantage and sent a clear message to their historical rivals ahead of another exciting head-to-head.
Is there an issue between Mbappe and Vinicius?
Vinicius Jr. looked angry with Alonso's decision to substitute him, heading straight to the dressing room before later returning to the sidelines. Despite that isolated incident, likely irrelevant in the long run, questions remain about the tactical coexistence of Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe within Alonso's tactical setup. Mbappe has already scored 16 goals in 13 appearances across all competitions, while Vinicius has looked less comfortable this season compared to the Frenchman. It's not impossible, perhaps too early, to imagine a different future for one of them.
