With goals from Benzema, Valverde and Rodrygo, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu for the ninth round of LaLiga Santander.
Karim Benzema opened the scoring in Real Madrid vs Barcelona for LaLiga.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: schedule and TV channels to see LIVE the Classic of LaLiga Santander
Real Madrid emerged as the leader of LaLiga Santander this Sunday after beating Barcelona 3-1 at the Bernabeu in the classic on matchday nine of the Spanish championship. Karim Benzema was once again on target.
The French striker opened the scoring (12'), and the Uruguayan Federico Valverde made it 2-0 (35') before Ferran Torres closed the gap (83'), and Rodrygo made it 3-1 from a penalty (90+1), which leaves Real Madrid the sole leader of LaLiga.
Benzema, the main candidate for the Ballon d'Or on Monday, scored again after more than a month and a half without scoring amid injuries at the start of the season.
The Frenchman, who saw a second goal disallowed for offside (52'), ended up winning the duel of gunners against Robert Lewandowski, who could not find his way to the goal in a match that began with Barza dominating.
The azulgrana team pressed the exit of the meringues, who were looking for their opportunity to run behind the azulgranas and who was the first to hit.
Before the quarter of an hour, Vinicius took advantage of a deep ball to plant himself against Ter Stegen, who beat the Brazilian heads-up, but Benzema picked up the rebound to make it 1-0 (12).
The Bernabeu paralyzes the world of football with a great duel for leadership. The challenge of Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid to transfer to LaLiga the defensive vulnerability of Xavi Hernandez's Barcelona in Europe.
The Barça danger of rushing into a crisis, on the edge of the precipice in the Champions League, but exhibiting firmness in a League to which everything points.
Stability marks the path of Real Madrid, the security achieved since the titles of the historic past year, which allow for minimizing the consequences of any moment of irregularity. Neither of them felt good about the last international break.
Real Madrid signs its best league start in the last eleven years and arrives fresh for the big event after Ancelotti's rotations; they are looking for solutions to the lack of forcefulness of his team. The Frenchman will not find a better time for the long-awaited reunion than a classic within hours of picking up the one that points to his first Ballon d'Or.
Before the Clasico, Real Madrid sealed their qualification for the Champions League round of 16.
Barcelona faces the Clasico in the worst moment of the season.
More cruel was football with the Barça team in the double European confrontation against Inter, which ended with a defeat in a grey match with an arbitration controversy at the Giuseppe Meazza (1-0) and a draw (3-3) in a crazy duel played at the Camp Nou.
The absences in the last games of Jules Kunde, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen forced to play Gerard Piqué, the fifth central player in the squad, until the national team break; Eric Garcia even used Marcos Alonso as an emergency solution in the axis.
With Kunde recovered, Xavi's decision would be for the Frenchman to be the side to try to stop Vinícius, a key element for Madrid's overflow. However, the ex-Sevilla has not been in action since last September 23, which could generate a complication for the game's pace.
Without Pique? Barcelona and the probable line-up for the Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu
Xavi does not give up the Barcelona style. "The goal is to win by playing well. I don't sign to win as it is"
Carlo Ancelotti on the Clásico: "Last year, I tried to invent something, and they gave me a stick."
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