Militao's Masterclass, Vinicius' Fire: Real Madrid Edge Barca 2-1 in a Classic Clasico

The Good

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu, taking the tenth round of La Liga in a clash that kept supporters on the edge of their seats.

Madrid sealed Barca's winning streak in Clasicos, halting it at four matches after Barca had won all meetings last season across La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey.

The victory put Madrid on top, five points ahead of their Catalan rivals with 27 points on the board.

The game delivered the usual twists, and some characters emerged in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which Kooora outlines in the following lines.

The Good

Brazilian defender Eder Militao played a heroic role in Madrid's win, proving the best player on the royal side throughout the match.

That performance earned him the highest rating among Madrid players (8.3) according to SofaScore.

Militao's solidity limited Barcelona's access to Thibaut Courtois on many occasions, thanks to his covering excellence.

He made 4 tackles, 3 of them successful, blocked 4 balls from the Real penalty area, and even saved one shot, while reclaiming two balls from Barca players.

In one-on-one duels, Militao showcased his prowess, succeeding in 5 of 6 challenges against Barca teammates and winning two of three aerial duels.

A notable stat: Militao did not suffer a dribble all game and showed his contribution in building play, completing 23 accurate passes out of 25 at a 92% success rate.

He also sent three long balls into Barcelona's half, with two finding a teammate, and even threatened Wojciech Szczesny's goal with two strikes.

The Bad and Ugly

The other Brazilian, Vinicius Junior, deserved the label The Ugly for several reasons, primarily his flair and willingness to press Barca's defenders with bite.

Thanks to this aggression and technical finesse, Vinicius helped the second goal after a left-side dribble and a cross that Jude Bellingham finished.

He also made a show of a red-hot moment toward Lamine Yamal, firing a powerful shot near the touchline to settle scores after controversial pre-match comments accusing Real Madrid of stealing.

Vinicius' aggression extended beyond Barca players to his own coach Xabi Alonso, whom he argued with after being substituted about 20 minutes from the end, which sparked controversy.

He left the pitch muttering about frequent substitutions, then headed straight to the dressing room before returning briefly to the bench area.

The Brazilian winger unleashed his anger toward Barca players after rejoining the field, getting into confrontations before the final whistle and redirecting his ire toward Yamal again for his constant talk that did not help in today’s clash.

The Ugly

Yamal looked off his usual self in today’s game, especially in the first half, offering little threat to Courtois or key passes to help teammates reach the Belgian goalkeeper.

Although he improved slightly after the break, Yamal appeared visibly affected by the hostile Bernabeu reception, with whistles every time he touched the ball due to his aggressive pre-match remarks about Real Madrid.

Even though he posted a pre-match Instagram message saying he did not fear facing the crowd or Real players, Yamal remained heavily impacted by the pressure, translating into a performance below his best.

Despite not wanting to admit it, Yamal lost this battle as his side fell, and his inability to assist teammates added more pressure on himself, revealing a less favorable side of him today.

Punchlines to brighten the end: If this Clasico were a sniper drill, the only thing getting shot would be Barca's confidence. | Militao’s defense was so precise that even a sniper would need a scoreboard to blink.