Real Madrid put an end to a four-game El Clasico losing streak on Sunday as they defeated Barcelona 2-1 at the Bernabeu in La Liga.
Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham struck either side of Fermin Lopez's leveller, with a scuffle between players and coaches kicking off at the final whistle.
“It was the moment and the tension from both teams,” Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said of the incident which saw a flurry of cards for both teams.
“It was the tension of an important match and a close result. We shouldn’t read too much into these moments of tension. All sorts of things have happened in clasicos.”
The result means Real Madrid go five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Real Madrid ratings
Thibaut Courtois – 6: Belgian made all the saves that would be expected, with Barcelona often hitting their efforts straight at him.
Alvaro Carreras – 7: Carreras stretched the play with forward runs to create the important isolations for Vinicius Jr, while also impressing against the threat of Yamal.
Dean Huijsen – 6: Settled into the game after a couple of errors in possession, and provided a threat from set pieces, forcing a save from Szczesny in 30th minute.
Eder Militao – 7: Solid overall in defence, and won a crucial header against Balde to assist Bellingham for the second goal. Made a complete mess of one big scoring chance.
Federico Valverde – 6: Blasted over bar when going for one spectacular effort. Defended well from his less regular spot at right back, but got his timing wrong on some occasions, particularly when booked for a late challenge on Rashford.
Eduardo Camavinga – 7: A composed figure in midfield as the Frenchman regularly took possession and linked impressively with Bellingham, who was positioned in a more advanced role.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 7: Plugged important gaps in midfield and made key challenges when required – particularly when Barcelona looked to create overloads. Kept things simple when in possession, moving the ball on to Real’s more creative players.
Jude Bellingham – 8: Provided pass fit for the occasion as England international marked strong Clasico performance with an inch-perfect through ball into the path of Mbappe for the opener. He went on to score the winner with a composed finish before the break.
Vinicius Jr – 8: There was always a feeling that something could happen when Brazilian had ball, while frequently getting the better of Jules Kounde. Unhappy at late substitution.
Kylian Mbappe – 8: A constant threat, Mbappe’s movement was too much for the Blaugrana, demonstrated by an excellent run for opener that he capped off with a clinical finish. Missed a penalty in the second half that would have put the game out of reach.
Arda Guler – 5: Looked to the skies after Barcelona’s equaliser after he gave away possession before the goal. Could have been more accurate with passing.
Madrid substitutes:
Brahim Diaz (for Guler, 66') – 6: Mistimed his run and was offside for a big chance that Bellingham converted.
Rodrygo (for Vinicius Jr, 71') – 6: Brought on, which saw his Brazilian compatriot storm off down the tunnel after replacing him. One shot straight at the goalkeeper.
Dani Carvajal (for Valverde, 71') – 6: Took a chance with a challenge on Araujo late on, but avoided giving away a penalty.
Dani Ceballos (for Mbappe, 91') – N/A: Introduced as Real ran the clock down.
Gonzalo Garcia (for Bellingham, 90') – N/A: Another late change.
Barcelona ratings
Wojciech Szczesny – 7: Not strong enough with his touch to Mbappe’s first effort, but made amends with a crucial penalty save against Mbappe that kept Barcelona in the game.
Alejandro Balde – 5: Involved in Barcelona’s goal when playing in Rashford, but struggled against Militao, who he was beaten by twice before big opportunities – with the first leading to Bellingham’s goal.
Eric Garcia – 6: Progressed the ball out from the back consistently, and was unlucky when conceding the penalty that Szcsesny saved – as there wasn’t much distance between the deflection and the ball hitting his hand after a tackle to block a cross.
Pau Cubarsi – 6: Took a heavy challenge from Huijsen before Real Madrid’s second goal, but Barcelona’s appeals were ignored. Rarely required to make a tackle, which is normally a positive thing for a defender. Replaced by Bardghji in the 83rd minute.
Jules Kounde – 3: Kounde couldn’t keep up with Vinicius Jr, who regularly got the better of him in isolated situations to give Real Madrid plenty of joy down Barcelona’s right side. Made an intelligent run for Barcelona’s biggest chance of the second half, but his poor touch saw the ball go safely into Courtois.
Frenkie de Jong – 7: Kept the play ticking for Barcelona and rarely put a foot wrong after an error early on that presented Real Madrid with a chance.
Pedri – 7: As assured as ever in possession, choosing moments to burst through gaps in midfield, and also won the ball back for Barcelona’s equaliser, before taking a yellow card for his team to deny a dangerous scoring opportunity – he was unfortunate that Real Madrid scored shortly after that. Sent off in stoppage time for a strong challenge – much to the delight of the Madrid fans, before exchanges on the touchline saw police move in to calm things down. An eventful end to El Clasico.
Fermin Lopez – 6: Scored the equaliser for Barcelona, but too often his decision-making was wrong with several underhit strikes, and missed passing opportunities.
Marcus Rashford – 8: The England international came into the game and had his moments when he used his pace in transition, accurately picking out Lopez who made it 1-1. Unselfish in the second half during attacking opportunities, and impressed with his decision-making in the attacking third.
Ferran Torres – 5: Failed to threaten with either of his two chances in the opening 45 minutes, but he should have done better with his first effort. Eventually replaced by Casado after a quiet overall performance.
Lamine Yamal – 4: A frustrating game from Yamal saw him struggle to make an impact. Lost the ball frequently and couldn’t make the difference in the final third. Made a big chance in the second half when picking out Kounde with an excellent pass, only for Kounde to miscontrol the ball. But that was it.
Barcelona substitutes:
Ronald Araujo (for Garcia, 74') – 6: It didn’t take long for Araujo to be required as the Uruguay international made an important block on Mbappe’s effort to put an end to a counter attack. He then cleared the resulting corner with a powerful header away.
Marc Casado (for Torres, 74') – 5: Helped Barcelona maintain possession higher up the pitch, but it was a difficult task for him against the white wall of Real Madrid.
Roony Bardghji (for Cubarsi, 83') – N/A: On for Cubarsi and deployed out wide as Barcelona went for a more attacking shape. Lost possession in his first attempt at taking on his marker. Found Casado late on with a pass back inside after patient work on the wing.
Gerard Martin (for Balde, 97') – N/A: Gave the ball away to Camavinga almost immediately after coming on.
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
You might also like
While you're here
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
While you're here
While you're here
On Women's Day
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
**UAE squad:**Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed