Real Madrid expose Barcelona’s midfield wastefulness in 2-1 El Clasico

Barcelona’s dominance of possession and passing could not prevent Real Madrid from winning El Clasico 2-1 at Camp Nou, with midfield errors undermining the home side’s expected advantage.

According to statistics published by Fermin Suarez on the programme Que t’hi jugues, Rodri Hernandez and Pedri Gonzalez each made 13 passing errors during the match.

Pedri endured a particularly difficult first half, misplacing 11 passes compared with seven from Rodri. The Barcelona midfielder improved after the break, however, and supplied the assist for Raphinha’s equaliser before Real Madrid eventually secured victory.

Barcelona controlled 62.2% of possession, while Real Madrid had 37.8%, according to Opta. The Catalan side also completed 640 passes, well ahead of Real Madrid’s 380.

They registered 18 shots, with six on target, while Real Madrid had 10 attempts and five efforts between the posts.

Despite those figures, Real Madrid scored twice to Barcelona’s one and also held the advantage in expected goals, recording 1.95 compared with Barcelona’s 1.19. The measure reflected the greater threat posed by the chances created by the visitors.

Rodri completed more passes than any other player in the match, with 84, followed by Pedri on 78. Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni completed 44 passes.

Rodri also led the individual statistics for touches, recording 105 compared with Pedri’s 96.

Tchouameni was the match’s leading player for ball recoveries, with 11. He was followed by his Real Madrid team-mate Arda Guler, who recovered possession seven times.

The statistics illustrated that greater possession and a higher passing total do not necessarily amount to control of a match. Real Madrid made better use of their opportunities and left Camp Nou with an important El Clasico victory.

The listed La Liga schedule includes Barcelona on 31 October 2026, with Deportivo Alaves and Racing Santander also shown, followed by Real Madrid on 01 November 2026.