Barcelona beat Real Madrid in fiercely competitive Las Vegas El Clásico | OneFootball

A Raphinha wonder strike was enough for Barcelona to win the Las Vegas El Clásico against Real Madrid in front of a boisterous crowd.

Scorers: Raphinha 27′

Without the focal point of Karim Benzema, Real Marid struggled to create any chances on the night despite remaining fiercely compeititve throughout.

The first real chance of the game went their way though as Frederico Valverde crashed a thunderous long-range effort off of the crossbar.

Barcelona, on the other hand, were fluid and penetrative with their attacking play. Their front-line, spearheaded by new signing Robert Lewandowski, pressured Real into mistakes.

Attempting a Cruyff turn in his own penalty area, Eduardo Camavinga surrendered possession to the Poland international who set up Ansu Fati. With just the keeper to beat, the Barça teenager somehow dragged his shot wide.

It was another summer recruit though who would prove the true difference maker. Éder Militão’s reckless pass across the face of his own box landed at the feet of Raphina who took one touch before dispatching a wonderful effort into Courtois top corner.

Both teams rotated heavily throughout the game leading to a lack of chances but the pace and determination at which the match was played kept the audience more than captivated, as tensions on the field boiled over on multiple occasions.

Marco Asensio would spurn Real’s best chance of the game when, in a similar fashion to Fati in the first half, the Spanish midfielder failed to hit the target with the goal gaping.

Second-half substitutes Memphis Depay and Ousmane Dembélé both had chances to increase Barça’s lead but a combination of heroic defending and expert goalkeeping kept the final score at 1-0.