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Barcelona hosted Real Madrid at the Camp Nou for the biggest game of matchweek 17 in La Liga on Wednesday night. Prior to the match, both teams were level on points (35 each) on top of the league table.
The Blaugrana came into the game on the back of a draw against Real Sociedad, while Los Blancos also drew away to Valencia last weekend.
The match started with both teams having equal control on the ball, but Barcelona were looking more nervous than Real Madrid. Los Blancos created the better opportunities in the first period as Karim Benzema and Casemiro drew out saves from Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while Gerard Pique made a goal-line clearance from a Real Madrid corner.
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Barcelona did manage to create one huge opportunity in the first half as Lionel Messi's shot was cleared off the line by Sergio Ramos. In the second period, the visitors started really well but the composure was lacking in the final third. In the end, both teams couldn't manage to break the deadlock and the game ended 0-0. As a result, both Barcelona and Real Madrid find themselves equal on points at the top of the Spanish league table, with 36 points each.
Here, we are going to take a look at the five hits and flops from last night's El Classico.
#5 Hit - Gerard Pique
It was a very solid and composed display from Barcelona's veteran centre-back Gerard Pique. As previously stated, Real Madrid were finding themselves in great positions in the attacking third early on but almost everything was being dealt by Pique really well.
Be it the constant crosses from Ferland Mendy, or the continues probing from Karim Benzema, the Spaniard had an answer to everything. The 32-year-old was also calm and composed on the ball, unlike his defensive partner Clement Lenglet, who looked very nervous from the start.
In terms of stats, Pique had a passing accuracy of 85%, with one tackle, two interceptions, and 10 clearances, which was the most by any player on the pitch. He also made some very important blocks, along with a vital goal-line clearance.
#4 Flop - Antoine Griezmann
Barcelona's big-money signing of the summer, Antoine Griezmann, had a rather poor outing in his debut El Classico. The Frenchman has been very inconsistent this season and against Los Blancos, he was anonymous for large parts of the game.
He has been playing out of position for a while now but a player of his quality is certainly expected to do better than what he is currently doing on the left-wing. His movements in the final third were the biggest drawback against Real Madrid and he rarely linked-up with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. He was substituted for Ansu Fati on the 83rd minute mark.
In terms of stats, the Frenchman had a passing accuracy of 86.5%, he played one key pass, and only had one shot on goal. The 28-year-old is yet to find his feet at the Camp Nou and needs to do it soon.
#3 Hit - Federico Valverde
Real Madrid's Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde didn't seem fazed by the occasion on Wednesday as he put in a shift at the Camp Nou. Starting on the right-hand side of the midfield three, the all-action midfielder was absolutely everywhere for Los Blancos.
He was recovering possession, breaking lines, and having shots on the opposition goal. It was a proper box-to-box performance from the young Uruguayan. In terms of stats, offensively, Valverde had three shots on goal, with one of them being on target. He had a passing accuracy of 92% and played one key pass. Defensively, Valverde made two interceptions and one clearance.
The 21-year-old has improved in leaps and bounds over the past couple of months and will be eager to continue his development.
#2 Flop - Luis Suarez
It was an uninspiring performance from Barcelona's Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. The 32-year-old was well covered by both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane as Suarez found it hard to have any influence on the game.
His first touch let him down quite a few times against Los Blancos and the striker's overall play with his back to the goal was disappointing, to say the least. His stats on the day tell the whole story as the Uruguayan had a passing accuracy of 70%, with three shots on goal and none of them being on target.
He completed zero dribbles and had no contribution defensively. To be fair, Suarez was looking a bit tired towards the end of the game and should have been substituted by Ernesto Valverde.
#1 Hit - Casemiro
Casemiro is currently one of the best, if not the best defensive midfielder in the world. Against Barcelona, he showed exactly why he is so highly rated.
The Brazilian's reading of the game is outstanding as he can see a pass coming from a mile away, which he did on Wednesday and protected his centre-backs brilliantly. Also, his ability to stop opposition counter-attacks is highly underrated.
The 27-year-old is an important part of Zinedine Zidane's style of play at Real Madrid and should be mighty proud of the performance he put in against Barcelona. In terms of stats, he had a passing accuracy of 85%, with a surprising four shots on goal, out of which two were on target.
The Real Madrid midfielder made five successful tackles, which was the most by anyone on the field, along with one interception and one clearance
