Andriy Lunin: 9. Made five saves, including one of the saves of the season to deny Gerard Martín’s header. His distribution was very good, too. An outstanding performance on a night when Real Madrid needed him.
Fede Valverde: 8.5. Terrific under pressure and led by example. His defensive positioning was sharp, and he finished with four interceptions. Brought composure and authority to the right flank.
Ibrahima Konaté: 8. Sent a few messages with tackles that were as precise as they were forceful. A
commanding presence at the back.
Dean Huijsen: 8.5. A couple of shaky passes early on gave way to a dominant performance. Cool with the ball at his feet, strong in the air, and willing to put his body on the line. Finished with 10 clearances and four blocked shots.
Marc Cucurella: 8.5. Made Lamine Yamal vanish. This was the World Cup version of Cucurella that Real Madrid signed: tenacious, alert, and incredibly difficult to beat. A performance befitting one of the best left-backs in world football.
Bernardo Silva: 7.5. Exactly the profile Real Madrid needed: a cool, composed, experienced midfielder who can settle the team during the build-up phase. Could have defended the goal better, but covered a ton of ground and pressed relentlessly.
Aurélien Tchouaméni: 9. One of his best performances in a Real Madrid shirt. Made five tackles and repeatedly shielded the backline, shutting down danger before it could develop. His distribution was also highly reliable: a team-best 95.7% passing accuracy.
Arda Güler: 7.5. Could have been stronger on the ball at times, but played some lovely passes into Mbappé’s path and provided the vital hockey assist for the winner. Looked to threaten with his shooting, although the efforts themselves lacked power.
Jude Bellingham: 8. Had one bizarre moment when he failed to play the obvious pass to Mbappé on a two-on-one break. Beyond that, his defensive work was outstanding, and some of his touches in tight spaces were sensational. Produced absolute wizardry in the build-up to the winner.
Yan Diomande: 8. An excellent Clásico debut. Played with the assurance of an experienced veteran at just 19 years old, and his dribbling caused Barcelona problems throughout the night.
Kylian Mbappé: 8.5. A brace takes him to eight goals in seven Clásicos. Mbappé is a Barça killer. His runs in behind gave Barcelona no chance to feel comfortable, and he delivered the two decisive blows.
Substitutes
Denzel Dumfries: 6. There was a noticeable drop-off in control on the ball when he replaced Valverde, but he worked hard defensively to help close out the game.
Eduardo Camavinga: 8.5. Balls of steel. His run to set up Mbappé’s winner was unbelievable — a moment of conviction and quality when Real Madrid needed it most.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: N/A.
Carlos Espí: N/A.
