Barcelona entered their first El Clasico of the season determined to close Real Madrid's points advantage at the top of La Liga but soon found themselves out of their depth in hostile territory, losing 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in a game defined more by the Blaugrana's mistakes than their rivals' brilliance.
Momentum was firmly on Real Madrid's side at the onset of the game, with two interventions from VAR sparing Barcelona from suffering both a penalty and offside goal. Though it wasn't long before the Blaugrana found themselves behind, with a sublime pass from Jude Bellingham setting Kylian Mbappé up to find the back of the net. Barcelona, however, responded some minutes later when Marcus Rashford squared the ball for a Fermín López goal to bring the game level.
But to the Catalans' misfortune, Jude Bellingham scored Real Madrid's second goal towards the end of the first half to make it 2-1. Despite a penalty in their favor and several counterattacks that punished Barcelona for their high defensive line, Real Madrid were unable to extend their lead but still ended the game five points clear of their archrivals.
With the 2-1 loss a bitter pill for the club to swallow, we provide player ratings for the starting XI.
Wojciech Szczęsny - 7
Conceded two goals but wasn't given much support by the backline, forcing him to make a few heroic saves to keep Barcelona in the game as much as possible, including stopping a well-struck penalty kick from Kylian Mbappé.
Jules Koundé - 4
Although he won some duels, he was lacking in both offense and defense, failing to link up with the attack in any meaningful way, and struggling to contain Real Madrid's offense down his flank.
Pau Cubarsí - 4.5
Like most of the club's backline, he failed to make an impression, often leaving space for Real Madrid players to exploit in counterattacks, but did manage some defensive work.
Eric García - 3
Provided decent support in attacking play but also conceded the penalty with a handball that could have worsened the loss had Real Madrid converted from the penalty spot.
Alejandro Baldé - 5
Was dynamic in moving the ball forward with his runs and passes, but as was the case with most of the backline, failed in his defensive duties and was occasionally caught out of position.
Frenkie de Jong - 7
Helped recycle possession in midfield and kept his passing tight and consistent but didn't provide enough interceptions and tackles to help shield the backline.
Pedri - 6
Made some good forward runs and passes that threatened Real Madrid's defensive half, and did his best as Barcelona's creative fulcrum, but had his lapses, like getting himself a yellow card for tugging on Vinicius Jr.'s shirt, and the ill-timed slide tackle that led to a red card late in the game.
Fermín López - 6.5
Scored Barcelona's only goal but was otherwise anonymous, failing to make certain runs and being sloppy on the ball.
Lamine Yamal - 4
Had some ideas but never shifted past first gear, often losing the ball when making runs and trying to beat his man, shooting when a pass would have been more effective, and lacking in pace.
Marcus Rashford - 7.5
Used his explosive pace to make quality runs into good positions and made the assist for Barcelona's only goal. Unfortunately, he didn't have his shooting boots on and sometimes failed to beat his man.
Ferran Torres - 5
Was nowhere to be found in terms of being effective with his movement or attacking play as he failed to make up for Barcelona's lack of a consistent goalscoring threat.