Real Madrid moved to the top of the table in LaLiga after a dominating 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the season’s first El Clásico. Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the home team, and Federico Valverde doubled the lead going into the second half. Ferran Torres came off the bench to score a goal in the 83rd minute. Real Madrid maintained their lead and Rodyrgo scored a goal in injury time to put the icing on the cake. Barcelona’s unbeaten streak has come to an end, and Real Madrid remains the only unbeaten team in the league.
We’ve broken down all the key stats for you to digest, including;
* shot maps
* xT (expected threat)
* pass networks
* xG timelines * defensive duels
* average positions and much more!
We also try to answer some questions for you with the visuals;
What were the offensive duels winning zones for Real Madrid? How many positional attacks were created by Barcelona?
To navigate the stats gallery simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
Real Madrid played the match in their preferred 4-3-3 formation. Carlo Ancelotti named a strong starting line-up for this crucial encounter. Karim Benzema led the attacks and was supported by Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde. Rodrygo came off the bench for the last few minutes of the match and led the attack.
Barcelona also played in a similar line-up. Eric Garcia was paired with Jules Kounde at the heart of the defence. Robert Lewandowski led the line in his first El Clásico.
The home team ended the match with a possession rate of 44.14%. Real Madrid averaged around 45% ball possession before scoring the first two goals. They lost possession of the ball towards the end of the first half. Real Madrid did well to keep hold of the ball in the second half and averaged almost 50% possession.
Barcelona had more possession of the ball in the match. The team averaged around 60% possession in the first half but conceded two goals. The second half saw the ball stay on both sides.
Real Madrid created 19 positional attacks and attempted five shots from these attacks. Most of the attacks came from the centre for the home team. They also tried two counterattacks but failed to attempt any shots.
Barcelona created 38 positional attacks and attempted 12 shots. They created most of the chances from the right side, and the shots attempted from the right side generated the highest xG.
The Los Blancos attempted eight shots and had a 505 accuracy rate. The first attempt came in the eight-minute period from Vinicius Junior, but the shot was blocked by the opposition. Real Madrid attempted four shots each in both halves.
The visitors tried 16 shots towards the opposition’s goal and they also managed to hit four shots on target. Raphinha attempted the first shot of the match in the 5th minute. Barcelona had a good spell in the middle of the first half as they attempted three shots within three minutes.
Real Madrid ended the match with an xG rate of 1.42. They attempted four shots from inside the penalty box and three were on target. Rodrygo’s goal towards the end generated the highest xG.
Barcelona had an xG rate of 2.72 at the end of the match. They attempted eight shots from inside the penalty box and three were accurate. In the 25th minute, Robert Lewandowski attempted a shot from inside the six-yard box. The shot was off target, but that was a great goal-scoring opportunity and generated a high xG rate.
Real Madrid centre-backs played a very defensive line and the average position of David Alaba was just next to the penalty box. Toni Kroos played on the left side in the midfield three and Luka Modric took the number ten role. The team attempted 391 passes and had an 86.19% accuracy rate.
Barcelona’s midfielders had a lot of involvement in the game. Pedri carried the ball from the left side, and Frenkie de Jong took command on the right side. Sergi Roberto played a high attacking line and Alex Balde took a more defensive approach. The team attempted 526 passes and had an accuracy rate of 89.35%.
The home team tried 33 passes to the final third and delivered 22. Vinicius Junior was the main target on the left side, while Federico Valverde was targeted on the right side. Valverde tried to create a few passing channels with Karim Benzema, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, and Luka Modric.
Barcelona players attempted 84 passes to the final third and had an accuracy rate of 75%. Pedri made a few runs into the final third and received six passes from Sergio Busquets. Raphinha also received a few passes on the right side.
The home team made 38 recoveries in the defensive third, 20 in the middle third, and seven in the final third. Most of the recoveries were made on the edge of the defensive and middle third. David Alaba recovered the ball 11 times for his side. Federico Valverde made the most recoveries in the final third.
Barcelona players made 22 recoveries in the defensive third, 31 in the middle third, and 15 in the final third. Eric Garcia recovered the ball 11 times for the visitors, and two were made in the attacking half.
Both teams contested 161 duels, and Real Madrid won 81. They won most of the duels in the defensive half. Toni Kroos contested 20 duels for his side and won eight. He won most of the duels in the middle and a few on the flanks.
Barcelona players won 76 duels. They contested most of the duels in the attacking half but failed to win many in dangerous areas in the attacking third. Robert Lewandowski contested most duels for his side.
The home team won 38 defensive duels in the match. They contested these duels outside the penalty box and managed to win most of them. Toni Kroos was a helping hand on the left side and won ten.
Barcelona won 27 duels in the match. They had a high win percentage on the left side but failed to win many on the right side. Ousmane Dembele was involved in a few defensive actions, and he won four defensive duels.
The home team won seven aerial duels. They failed to win four duels inside the penalty box.
Barcelona players won eight aerial duels in the match. Robert Lewandowski won three aerial duels inside the opposition penalty box but failed to score a goal from these chances.
Real Madrid contested very few offensive duels in the attacking half. They won most of these duels inside their own half and on the left side.
Barcelona players won a few offensive duels outside the opposition penalty box, but they failed to win any inside the penalty box. They targeted the left side of the defence.
Real Madrid’s players worked according to the game plan and that allowed them to secure this crucial victory early in the title race. They are unbeaten and high on confidence going further into the season.
Visuals via Wyscout