La Liga title race solidifies as Benzema shines with a goal and assist; Real Madrid leads Barça 2-1 by 5 points

At 23:15 on October 26th Beijing time, the 10th round of La Liga featured the El Clásico, with Real Madrid hosting Barcelona.

In the first half, Vinícius earned a penalty that was overturned by VAR, Mbappé’s stunning goal was disallowed by VAR, then Mbappé scored offside to break the deadlock; Bellingham assisted with a through ball, Rashford set up Fermin to equalize, Bellingham scored to complete a goal and assist, giving Real Madrid a 2-1 halftime lead; in the second half, Mbappé’s penalty was saved by Szczęsny, and Pedri was sent off in the final moments.

In the end, Real Madrid avenged their losses to Barça with a 2-1 victory, ending last season’s four consecutive defeats to their rivals and leading La Liga by 5 points.

After the match, a major confrontation broke out between the teams, with Vinícius and Yamal involved in a heated altercation.

Real Madrid lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Mbappé upfront, Bellingham, Camavinga, Guiller, and Vinícius in midfield, Tchouaméni as the lone defensive midfielder, a back four of Valverde, Militão, Heisen, and Carreras, and Courtois in goal; the starting lineup’s total value was €995 million. Frick deployed a 4-2-3-1 for Barça with Ferran leading the attack, Fermin behind him, Rashford and Yamal on the wings, Pedri and De Jong as double pivot midfielders, a back four of Balde, Garcia, Cubasi, and Koundé, and Szczęsny in goal; their starting lineup was valued at €766 million.

Several key Barça players were absent from this match, including Lewandowski, Rafinha, Olmo, and starting goalkeeper Garcia, putting Barça at a disadvantage compared to Real Madrid. Barça’s defense was unstable, and their striker Ferran is rated at a level typical of lower-tier teams in the top five leagues, which weakened Barça’s position in this El Clásico. Despite dominating possession, Barça lacked a strong target man or shooting ability at the number 9 spot, making it difficult to play. Their attacks came mainly from the wings but failed to combine centrally. Although Fermin scored, he played more individually without fitting into Barça’s team tactics. Real Madrid focused on midfield pressure, with Camavinga and Tchouaméni responsible for interceptions and tackles. Bellingham, valued at €180 million, made a strong return with a goal and assist, justifying his high market price. Mbappé and Vinícius were very active, with Mbappé scoring and missing a penalty. Ultimately, Real Madrid defeated Barça 2-1, ending last season’s four-game winning streak against them and leading La Liga by 5 points, possibly reducing the title race uncertainty.

Throughout the match,Real Madrid had only 32% possession, took 23 shots with 10 on target; Barcelona had 15 shots with 6 on target..