Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona: 5 Hits and Flops as Los Blancos go atop standings | La Liga 2022-23

Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday (October 16) to go atop the La Liga standings, continuing their unbeaten start to the season.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute following some brilliant work by Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos. It was his first strike in six games. Madrid doubled their lead in the 35th minute through Federico Valverde from outside the box as the hosts assumed control of proceedings.

Barcelona were fortuitous to avoid falling 3-0 down, as Benzema's strike was ruled out for offside. The visitors eventually reduced arrears through Ferran Torres. The Spaniard beat Andriy Lunin following some smart work by Ansu Fati and Robert Lewandowski.

With the visitors seeking a second, Fati squandered a great chance to equalise before Eric Garcia fouled Rodrygo in the box to give away a penalty. The striker stepped up and converted to seal all three points for Madrid.

On that note, here's a look at the five hits and flops from the game:

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#5 Hit: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)

Toni Kroos shone for Real Madrid in the centre of the field. The German sniper was in cruise control as Barcelona were forced to chase shadows.

The 32-year-old with his quick feet, and displayed amazing control and sudden burst of acceleration to make life difficult for the visitors.

Kroos won eight duels, made six recoveries, won three tackles, made one interception and created one chance in the game. His composure to fend off challenges before finding Vinicius Jr. for the opener was a thing of beauty. Kroos' chemistry with Luka Modric in midfield was supreme too.

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#4 Flop: Eric Garcia (Flop)

Eric Garcia had a game to forget, as he was torn to shreds by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. The former Manchester City defender was caught out of position on numerous occasions. Garcia was at fault for giving the ball away for Madrid's second goal.

To exacerbate matters, he fouled Rodrygo in the box in the dying minutes of the game to give away a penalty. His performance certainly made Barcelona fans miss Ronald Araujo, who is currently sidelined with an injury.

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#3 Hit: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Karim Benzema chose the perfect game to find form. The Frenchman has struggled to live up to his staggering standards this season.

However, he turned up when it mattered the most. Benzema scored the opener as he perfectly slotted the ball into the back of the net, finding the opening between three defenders.

Benzema scored a stunner in the second half. The Frenchman channeled the ball from the outer right to the centre before smacking one in from outside the box, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

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#2 Flop: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)

Sergio Busquets dropped a stinker for Barcelona in the centre of the park. The Spaniard was terribly slow in the build-up and killed a host of transitions, allowing Madrid enough time to regroup. Busquets lacked vision down the line and played with a risk averse mindset.

The 34-year-old was reliable with his ball distribution but lacked effectiveness, as most of his passes didn't threaten the hosts. He was overshadowed by the Madrid trio of Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric. Barcelona manager Xavi subbed him off for Gavi at the hour mark.

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#1 Hit: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)

Federico Valverde deservedly won the Man of the Match for his spectacular display against Barcelona.

He scored a wonderful goal from the edge of the box to give Barcelona custodian Marc-Andre ter Stegen no chance. With such consistent world-class performances, he's cementing his name as one of the best players in the world at the moment.

The 24-year-old won four duels, made five recoveries, won two tackles and created one chance in the game. His work rate and energy was difficult for Barcelona to contend with.