[Photo courtesy of Getty Images]
An El Clasico is never a friendly. Barcelona defeated Real Madrid in the American Tour Tournament’s first Classico of the year. Top teams from the world’s most elite leagues have been competing in preparation for the new season, which begins in a few weeks.
Albeit, when two of the biggest teams in Spain and the world meet – even if it is overseas – it is not a preseason friendly. Blaugrana were victorious in a tense 90-minute battle.
The match was played at a high tempo, with both teams’ starting eleven featuring a new and young middle field. Barcelona’s youth team won the battle against €400 million midfield combo with Belingham at the helm of the triangle. Pedri assisted Dembele’s goal in the 15th minute, but the two late goals by Lopez Martin and Ferran Torres sealed the Catalonians wins. This maintains their three-game winning streak on American soil against Real Madrid.
Despite the big core, there was nothing else Real Madrid could have done in front of goal except score. Their powerful samba combination up top was continually running at and past the Barcelona defense. But they were unable to score finish their chances. With amazing efforts from Vini, Tchouameni, and other players, they ended up hitting the crossbar. Overall, Barcelona survived thanks to a revitalised De Jong in midfield and Terstegen in goal, giving us something to look forward to in next season’s Clasicos.