Barcelona player ratings vs Real Madrid: Ilkay Gundogan stars but Jude Bellingham breaks Blaugrana hearts with late winner

Ilkay Gundogan probably thought he had done enough to win it. The German bagged Barcelona’s first goal of the day, and was instrumental as his side created a litany of chances. But a Jude Bellingham brace saw his efforts mooted, and the Blaugrana lost, 2-1.

The Blaugrana were gifted an early opener, with Aurelien Tchouameni’s misplaced pass falling to the feet of Gundogan, who evaded David Alaba’s slide and finished through the legs of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Barca almost had a second shortly after, but Fermin Lopez cannoned his short range effort off the post.

Xavi’s side almost got a vital second early after the break, but Kepa denied Ronald Araujo’s close-range effort with an instinctive stop. And Madrid worked their way back in it. The introduction of Luka Modric gave Los Blancos more possession, and they created more chances.

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Marc-Andre ter Stegen (5/10):

  Got a hand to Bellingham’s long-range effort. Megged for the second. Made a couple of nice stops, otherwise.

  Ronald Araujo (8/10):

  Deployed at right-back and charged with marking Vinicius Jr. Got the better of him once again, and made some vital recoveries late on. One of the better defenders in the world.

  Andreas Christensen (6/10):

  Could have probably closed down Bellingham quicker for the Madrid goal. Was otherwise solid.

  Inigo Martinez (6/10)

  A forced starter, given the absence of Jules Kounde. He kept Rodrygo out of it, for the most part. Joselu proved a real handful, though, and he accidentally flicked the ball right into Bellingham’s path for the second.

  Alejandro Balde (6/10):

  Not as involved as usual in an attacking sense, but his defensive work was vital for the Blaugrana. Xavi will have liked him to be more assertive.

  • Midfielder

    Gavi (6/10):

    As irritating as ever, flying into tackles and stretching the rules. Faded late on.

    Ilkay Gundogan (8/10):

    Took his goal well — even if it was handed to him. Otherwise wonderful in the middle of the park, dictating the tempo and filling spaces.

    Fermin Lopez (7/10):

    Energetic in the middle of the park, and a real nightmare for Kroos in the first half. Looked out of legs after an hour, though.

    Joao Cancelo (7/10):

    Deployed on the right, and made things very difficult for Ferland Mendy. Equally effective against Eduardo Camavinga. Probably should have scored.

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    Ferran Torres (5/10):

    His only major involvement was to pick up a very entertaining yellow card. A fit Robert Lewandowski will boot him from the XI.

    Joao Felix (7/10):

    Caused constant problems in the left half space. Perhaps unfortunate not to get Dani Carvajal sent off after a wonderful run. His influence waned in the second half.

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    Subs & Manager

    Robert Lewandowski (7/10):

    Replaced Ferran — much to the relief of the home fans. Offered a valuable out ball, and linked play well.

    Oriol Romeu (6/10):

    Brought on to add some more bite to the Barca midfield. Certainly covered some spaces, but didn’t influence the game much.

    Lamine Yamal (6/10):

    A few nice touches, but little impact.

    Raphinha (6/10):

    Ran a lot, but couldn’t make anything happen.

    Xavi (6/10):

    Pieced together an interesting formation, deploying Cancelo further forward and Araujo at right-back. But it was his midfield that really showed up, keeping Madrid out of the game entirely for 65 minutes. Hard to blame him for the quality that his opponents could bring off the bench — or Bellingham’s excellence. A demoralising result, given his side’s performance.

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