Barcelona won another preseason El Clasico in the USA against rivals Real Madrid, blanking them 3-0 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They also won summer El Clasico affairs on U.S. soil in 2017 and 2022.
An early 15th-minute goal by Ousmane Dembele on a training field set-piece move set the La Liga champions on their way, and they sealed the result with two late goals that saw 20-year-old academy product Fermin Lopez at the center of both.
Real Madrid had multiple chances, but Vinicius Jr hit the crossbar on a first-half penalty kick, and Madrid hit the woodwork four other times as the finishing failed a team seeking to find its way without longtime captain and top scorer Karim Benzema, who moved to Saudi Arabia.
It was a welcome victory for Barcelona, who were forced to cancel a friendly match against Juventus because of a bout of gastroenteritis that afflicted the squad, then lost 5-3 to Arsenal. They next face AC Milan on Tuesday and then Tottenham on August 8 before opening the season at Getafe on August 13.
Real Madrid saw their winning preseason run end after victories over AC Milan (3-2) and Manchester United (2-0). They meet Juventus on August 2 in Orlando before heading back to Spain ahead of the start of the season on August 12.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid final score
| Final | Goal scorers | |
| Barcelona | 3 | - Ousmane Dembele (Pedri) 15' - Fermin Lopez (Sergi Roberto) 85' - Ferran Torres (Fermin Lopez) 91' |
| Real Madrid | 0 |
Lineups:
Barcelona 1st min. (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Ter Stegen (GK) — 4. Araujo, 23. Kounde, 15. Christensen (24. Eric Garcia 28'), 3. Balde — 21. De Jong, 14. Gundogan (20. S. Roberto 42'), 18. Romeu — 7. Dembele (22. Raphinha 66'), 9. Lewandowski, 8. Pedri (29. Fermin 66').
Barcelona 75th min. (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Ter Stegen (GK) — 2. Dest, 23. Kounde, 24. Eric Garcia, 12. Marcos Alonso — 20. Sergi Roberto, 10. Ansu Fati, 29. Fermin Lopez — 22. Raphinha, 11. Ferran Torres. 16. EZ Abde
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2, right to left): 1. Courtois (GK) — 2. Carvajal, 3. Militao, 4. Alaba, 23. F. Mendy (20. F. Garcia 45') — 15. Valverde (10. Modric 58'), 18. Tchouameni, 12. Camavinga (8. Kroos 58') — 5. Bellingham (14. Joselu 73') — 7. Vinicius Jr, 11. Rodrygo (21. Brahim 83')
Real Madrid miss Karim Benzema already
End product was lacking for Real Madrid on this day, and it was most glaring on a first-half penalty awarded for a handball by Barcelona in the box. It was Vinicius Jr. who stepped up, but he's only taken two penalties in his professional career according to Transfermarkt. He could not deliver, smashing the crossbar. But it was not a well-executed penalty.
The questions will be raised whether set-piece specialist Rodrygo, or even Jude Bellingham should assume those penalty duties ahead of Vinicius. But Vinicius seems primed to take on a bigger role for the team, and taking penalties away from him would constitute a blow to his standing.
Ancelotti: "The penalty shooter? We are testing. Today Modrić was missing, who is usually the one who shoots penalties. It could be Vinicius, Rodrygo... we are testing. The penalties are good." pic.twitter.com/CvIXhq1Uei
— Madrid Universal (@MadridUniversal) July 29, 2023
Vinicius was still the best Real Madrid player on the field, despite missing the penalty and hitting the crossbar on two other occasions. He needs to continue to do what he does best on the left wing, but he will need a presence in the middle of the box to support him. Rodrygo and Bellingham didn't provide it in this game, and Joselu only had a handful of minutes (and missed a big chance).
How Real Madrid lost to Barcelona 3-0
When it boils down to it, Real Madrid should have gotten something from this game. But Vinicius Jr (missed penalty and two crossbars), Rodrygo (diving set-piece stop by Ter Stegen), and Jude Bellingham (post on a header) could not find a breakthrough. And then Aurelien Tchouameni (crossbar from distance) and forward substitute Joselu (wide open header that missed the target) also came up short.
When Barcelona had their first-choice backline, they defended well after taking the early lead, but the Blaugrana were also very lucky — for example, Tchouameni's blast bounced off the crossbar and then off the back of the head of Ter Stegen and out.
Barcelona's Fermin Lopez took advantage of an unbalanced Real Madrid side chasing a late equalizer, scoring and assisting on two late goals to seal the result. So the scoreline ultimately flatters Barcelona, but also highlights some Real Madrid finishing issues that could become magnified if the wins don't follow to start the season.
📸 Man of the Match
— Barça Spaces (@BarcaSpaces) July 29, 2023
💭 I would have given it to the Post pic.twitter.com/ERyQ6SZIYA
Who is Fermin Lopez?
He's a 20-year-old midfielder who joined the Barcelona youth set-up seven years ago and has spent time with the club's youth teams, reserve side Barca Atletic, and on loan with third-division side Linares.
He slotted into central midfield against Real Madrid, playing in the right and left midfield channel. And while he didn't stand out for much outside the goals, he did show strong attacking instincts on his strike from distance, and on his perfectly weighted chipped ball over the top.
Realistically, you'd think that with Gavi, Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, Oriol Romeu, and Sergi Roberto, Fermin Lopez would not likely see much action in 2023/24. Although another loan spell would seem to make sense, manager Xavi Hernandez said that he'll be staying with the first team, according to Alfredo Martinez.
"I like him, I see talent, and the final pass," said Xavi postgame about Fermin Lopez, per Relevo. "It's what we were missing last season in the final third."
📽️ - Férmin López vs Real Madrid. 🌟
— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) July 29, 2023
By: @ArsenKveFCBpic.twitter.com/8KBrz5NUpA