Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in El Clasico, producing a near-perfect performance under Hans-Dieter Flick.
Real struggled to keep up, and one of its stars, Kylian Mbappe, disappointed in his first clash with Barcelona as a Madrid player. How did the Spanish and global press react to this iconic match?
Dermot Corrigan from The Athletic highlights Real’s ongoing issues, saying, “Barcelona has its own problems, with off-field chaos. Still, after Saturday’s game, looking for negatives seemed wrong.
Barcelona fans have suffered in recent years, and the club faced tough times. Many at the club are happy the focus has shifted to Real. This result signals that Carlo Ancelotti’s team faces a crisis.”
Calciomercato pointed to Real’s lack of a suitable replacement for Toni Kroos, who retired in July, leaving a void in midfield. “This summer, the club focused heavily on signing Mbappé, but overlooked Kroos’ absence,” the article notes.
Sid Lowe from The Guardian praised Barcelona’s daring approach: “Life is beautiful when you live on the edge. Barcelona, in El Clasico, walked a tightrope, but their fearless plan worked flawlessly. The risk paid off—Barcelona destroyed Real, fielding six players under 21 in the starting lineup.”
In A Bola, Francisco Alves Tavares observed, “This game mirrored the season. Real struggles, while Barcelona achieves results through team play. In this Clasico, discipline defeated the opponent, and Barcelona’s finishing was lethal.”
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Sky Sports introduced a new term: “This is a massive victory for Hansi Flick. His Barcelona earned such praise this season that the term ‘Flicki-flaka’ is trending, a nod to Pep Guardiola’s ‘tiki-taka’ style. Can anyone beat Barcelona in Europe this season?”