<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">FC Barcelona had the slight edge in Las Vegas this evening against Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season. It's actually the pre-season but the importance of this game, especially for two specific players. Robert Lewandowski was bound to make his debut against Real Madrid, he didn't disappoint.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>But the most important player of this first half was Raphinha, who scored an incredible long range goal that plunged into the top corner. Real Madrid was clearly unable to keep up the pace at the start but they still had a few good chances that weren't enough to score. Near the end of the first half, we had an important possible brawl that wasn't extremely grave for either side.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Busquets provoked a possible brawl</b></div><div><br></div><div>Close to halftime, Busquets and Alba double teamed Vinicius Junior. This was more than enough for many Real Madrid players to get flustered. _Due to the high temperatures in Las Vegas, both teams were bound to make many substitutions. After the break, that's exactly what happened as Robert Lewandowski wasn't allowed to stay on the pitch after the break.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of eleven subs were made between both teams, Real Madrid improved drastically with Modric, Kroos and Casemiro on the pitch. However, FC Barcelona still got the most important chances during the final 20 minutes of the game. It wasn't even a contest for them. Coach Xavi Hernandez wasn't happy with some of the ref's decisions but he was hapy with the result in the final whistle.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the final result, Belgian goalie Thibaut Courtois was arguably the most important player on the pitch. He made a total of four saves during the last ten minutes of the match. Before that, Kessie got in front of him but wasn't able to release a potent shot. Ousmane Dembele had two consecutive chances that Courtois was able to deflect in spectacular fashion.</div><div><br></div><div>But the most impressive save came after a potent shot from Serginño Dest. If it hadn't been for his performance, Real Madrid would've been demolished by Barcelona during the final minutes of the game. So far, the Blaugranas are doing well in this start of the pre-season. Real Madrid needs a few more games to get into rhythm though. -Marca</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/TR</div>