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Real Madrid superstar Toni Kroos showered praise on his teammate Fede Valverde for his impressive performance against Barcelona during their 3-1 home win in LaLiga.
Los Blancos managed to win their first El Clasico of the season and return to the top of the league table.
Fede Valverde, the scorer of the Madrid giants' second goal, caught Kroos' attention as the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner tweeted out:
"Fede Valverde top 3 in the world right now."
Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute. Kroos found Vinicus Jr. in space, whose shot was saved by Blaugrana keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Benzema capitalized on the rebound to put his team ahead.
In the 35th minute of the game, Valverde doubled his team's lead. The Uruguayan smashed home a low effort past Ter Stegen from a Ferland Mendy pass.
Ferran Torres gave Barcelona a glimmer of hope as the Spaniard scored in the 83rd minute. Robert Lewandowski found the former Manchester City attacker in space.
However, Eric Garcia fouled Rodrygo inside the area in the dying moments of the game. VAR awarded Real Madrid a penalty, which Rodrygo converted to seal a 3-1 win for his team.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise on Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde after win against Barcelona
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti picked Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde as the two players who made the difference for his team during the El Clasico against Barcelona.
While speaking to the media after the game, the Italian said (via ESPN):
"Kroos and Valverde were very, very good, in different ways, Kroos helped us play out from the back and he was strong defensively. ... Valverde is getting used to playing in this position [on the right]. He's scoring goals, and he has spectacular energy."
He further went on to thank the crowd for their support during the game. The 63-year-old mentioned that the atmosphere inside the ground felt like a Champions League matchday, saying:
"They've always been close to us, but what happened last year got us even closer, It wasn't night-time but this was like a Champions League afternoon with the atmosphere. The team delivered."
Los Blancos remain unbeaten in LaLiga with the crucial win. They currently have 25 points on the board after nine games and lead the Blaugranas by three points at the top of the table.
