Barcelona won the first El Clasico of the season on Saturday night after Pau Victor’s brace handed them a 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid in New York.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
It was another huge victory for Hansi Flick in pre-season after Barcelona also beat Premier League champions Manchester City on penalties earlier this week.
The game, played in front of a sell-out crowd in New York, was suspended for an hour after a wild storm around MetLife Stadium. When play continued, Barcelona showed Real why they won’t have it all their own way in LaLiga again this season.
Barcelona won the first El Clasico of the season as they beat rivals Real Madrid 2-1 in New York
Prolific Pau strikes again
Barcelona scored eight less goals than Real Madrid and six fewer than Girona in LaLiga last season.
Robert Lewandowski is also entering the twilight years of his career so if Barcelona are going to wrestle back the title this season then more firepower is needed.
Step forward Pau Victor.
The 22-year-old is no wonderkid but he’s been lethal during pre-season and his brace here proved to be decisive. He also scored in that win over Manchester City.
After spending time on loan with both Sabadell and Barcelona’s B team in the last two seasons, he finally looks ready for more first-team action and could be a dangerous new weapon for Flick.
Pau Victor scored two goals for Barcelona as he continued to prove his worth to Hansi Flick
Endrick needs time
With Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham expected to start the majority of games in attack next season, this was a great chance for Endrick to show what he can do in big games.
Unfortunately, the 18-year-old looked slightly overwhelmed by the occasion and failed to do anything of note.
It must be said he’s only just joined up with his new teammates and connections on the pitch are still being formed. A mistimed run in behind in the first half, for example, was a chance that got away.
He also dragged a shot wide that really should have been on target in the opening 45 minutes and then, as the game progressed, he went missing as Real searched for goals.
It’s not fair to put too much expectation on him next season but, as plenty of former Real players will point out, you don’t get much time to settle in at the Bernabeu.
Endrick started up front on his own but the Brazilian struggled to have any impact on the game
Flick’s the real deal
Ever since Ernesto Valverde left in 2020, having won two LaLiga titles and one Copa del Rey, Barcelona have had a pretty dismal run of coaches.
It felt like the job was too big for Quique Setien and Ronald Koeman and while Xavi won LaLiga, his inexperience ultimately showed as problems off the field engulfed matters on it.
But in Flick they have now got a coach with a proven track record of success at Bayern Munich who has a clear plan of how he wants his team to play.
The strategy both in build up on the ball and in pressing without it was clear to see and his team dominated for the majority of the game here.
Bayern are also renowned for having political issues in the boardroom. If Flick can navigate those at Barcelona, they could have struck gold in the dugout.
Hansi Flick hasn’t been in charge for long but his style is already evident in Barcelona’s play
Vinicius Jr is in a league of his own
Vinicius had barely been on the field for five minutes but the injection of quality he brought to proceedings was remarkable.
It felt as though a Real player hadn’t dribbled past their man all night but Vinicius’ desire to do just that transformed the game.
He almost wanted it too much and at one point was running over and taking the ball off teammates when they were just yards away.
Vinicius could be forgiven for feeling like the limelight has shifted off him and onto Mbappe after the Frenchman’s blockbuster arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
But instead of feeling threatened, he should be salivating at the damage an attack of himself, Mbappe, Bellingham and Rodrygo can do to European football.
Vinicius Jr had an immediate impact on the game for Real Madrid and his quality stood out
World Cup warning
MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 World Cup final but tonight we saw a genuine problem with hosting a major tournament in the US in summer.
After just 12 minutes the game was suspended for an hour because of stormy conditions overhead that brought torrential rain and lightning.
Similarly, down in Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Saturday night’s friendly between Premier League side Wolves and Germany’s RB Leipzig was hit with torrential rain.
Clouds gathered over MetLife Stadium before played was paused for an hour due to a storm
Obviously FIFA can’t predict and plan for adverse weather but the advice for fans was a little confusing here tonight.
They were first told to shelter in the concourse while the storm was above. But then they were allowed to return to their seats – and the players to the pitch – while the storm was still raging.
If you’re coming to America in 2026, the advice seems pretty clear: bring your ponchos because it could be a soaking wet World Cup.
