_El Clasico_ delivered another tense edition on Sunday when Real Madrid rode a strong first half to a 2-1 win over heated rivals Barcelona.
Real had a penalty taken away by VAR and a goal ruled offside as well, and that led to a one-goal difference at the break.
Barca were much better in the second half but could not find an equalizer, failing to take advantage of a Kylian Mbappe penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny.
Who starred and who slumped in _El Clasico?_ Read on....
Real Madrid vs Barcelona player ratings
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**Thibaut Courtois: 6.5 —** Didn’t have a ton to do besides sweep up hopeful Barca passes into his area, which he did well enough.
**Fede Valverde (Off 72'): 7**
**Eder Militao: 8 —** A strong day, even doing some marauding work going forward. Team-high four tackles and game-high clearances (4).
**Dean Huijsen: 7 —** Nodded down to Bellingham for an assist.
**Alvaro Carreras: 7 —**
**Aurelien Tchouameni: 8 —** Most recoveries of any field player (8).
**Arda Guler (Off 66'): 7**
**Eduardo Camavinga: 7**
**Jude Bellingham (Off 90'): 9 —** A marvelous day for a player who lives for the big occasions. Goal, assist, five shots.
**Vinicius Jr (Off 72'): 7 —** Threw a fit upon being subbed off for Rodrygo.
**Kylian Mbappe (Off 90'): 8 —** At the heart of it all for Real’s attack, but the missed penalty sticks out nearly as much as his fantastic goal. Tied Rashford for the most created chances in the game (4).
**Subs**
**Brahim Diaz (On 66'): 6**
**Dani Carvajal (On 72'): 6.5**
**Rodrygo (On 72'): 6.5**
**Dani Ceballos: N/A**
**Gonzalo Garcia: N/A**
Barcelona player ratings at Real Madrid
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**Wojciech Szczesny: 9 —** He made nine saves and faced an absurd 4.44 xG. Quite a save on Mbappe’s penalty.
**Alex Balde (Off 90'): 6**
**Pau Cubarsi (Off 83')i: 6**
**Eric Garcia (Off 74'): 6.5 —** Super unfortunate to concede a penalty, and Szczesny gave him a karmic bailout.
**Jules Kounde: 6.5**
**Frenkie De Jong: 7.5 —** Steady enough, ringing up a game-high 117 touches while completing 93-of-98 passes. Game-high 10 defensive contributions, combining with **Pedri** for 13 tackles**.**
**Pedri: 7 —** Would’ve been higher but his second yellow deep in stoppage will cost him further playing time. Involved in a game-high 23 duels, winning 12. Drew a game-high three fouls.
**Fermin Lopez: 7.5 —** Barca’s best hope to equalize, he ripped off a team-high four shots and put all of them on frame.
**Marcus Rashford: 7 —** Chaled up an assist in his game-high 0.61 xA
**Lamine Yamal: 6 —** Off his standards by quite a bit. Came close to conceding a penalty only to be aided by VAR. No shots on target and no physical work to speak of.
**Ferran Torres (Off 74'): 5.5 —** Just 26 touches leading to a single created chance. Not going to cut it at the Bernabeu.
**Subs**
**Ronald Araujo (On 74'): 6.5**
**Marc Casado (On 74'): 6**
**Roony Bardghji (On 83'): N/A**
**Gerard Martin (On 90'): N/A**