Coming off a series of dominating displays against Bayern Munich, Sevilla, and Alaves, much was expected for FC Barcelona in the El Clasico, and they delivered exactly the same. Given the Blaugrana club's form, they were considered the favorites; however, dominating 4-0 the way they did at the Santiago Bernabeu was just outstanding.
FC Barcelona embarrassed Real Madrid as they put 4 past the hosts at Santiago Bernabeu
Be it defense, midfield, or attack, Barca responded brilliantly on all the key aspects once again, with every player giving his best in the fixture. Although FC Barcelona didn't look extremely over Carlo Ancelotti's side in the initial minutes, the way they turned things around in the second half, destroying Real Madrid's backline, was commendable.
As expected, the fixture was enthralling and exciting from the very initial minutes. Be it Real Madrid or Barca, both sides were trying to fancy their chances to gather a vital lead in the important fixture. However, while the Blaugrana club didn't look extraordinary on the offensive front initially, they certainly did a very brilliant job with the offside trap, entrapping superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Vini Jr. multiple times in the 1st half.
Although the first 45 minutes ended with the scoreline remaining the same, Barca's tactical substitution to bring in Captain de Jong in the second half's start changed the course of the game. While Barca certainly hadn't been poor on their display in the initial minutes, de Jong's substitution provided them the needed stability in the center of the park. And ultimately, the efforts soon materialized, as Barca broke the deadlock minutes into the second half.
In the 54th minute, a brilliant through ball from ace prodigy Casado found star number 9 Lewandowski clear, who made no mistake in putting it past Andriy Lunin much more calmly. Going to 13 La Liga goals this season with this perfect finish, who knew he would complete his brace soon? Moments later, an excellent run from Balde on the left flank found an onrushing Lewandowski, who doubled the lead with an exquisite header.
Having already gone down to 0-2 in a matter of 2 minutes, the pressure on Ancelotti's side was clearly visible, but the best was yet to come as Barca continued their hunt for more goals. With Dani Olmo coming in the 65th minute, the Spaniard had Barca all over the opposition as his movement continuously threatened Madrid's backline again and again.
Meanwhile, all this was happening; credit needs to be showered on Barca's backline, who, with inch-perfect precision, shut down Mbappe and Vini with their offside plan. Minutes later, another magic moment arrived, as ace star Raphinha, with a brilliant run, made an exciting opportunity for prodigy Lamine Yamal, who tripled the lead with a rocket right leg finish. While certainly scoring at such a young age was special, the 17-year-old made it even more iconic, pulling up the iconic Calma celebration in front of the Bernabeu crowd.
The final nail in the coffin was put in by Club Captain Raphinha himself as veteran Inigo's long ball was controlled excellently by him, combined with a smooth finish, which gave FC Barcelona an invincible 4-0 lead. While attempts still continued from the Blaugrana club against the hosts, who looked too fatigued to even compete, the scoreline was 4-0 in Barcelona's favor after the full whistle.
With this dominating victory, FC Barcelona has extended its dominance in this La Liga campaign, as they now stand 6 points clear of their Clasico rivals. Moreover, having kept their 43-game unbeaten streak record intact, Hansi Flick's side had a perfect night at the Santiago Bernabeu. Going forward, the club is scheduled to face Espanyol on 3rd November, for which the club fans would hope to keep continuing winning ways.