The Saturday (July 23) night-friendly match between arch rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid was quite an exciting thriller as they clashed in Las Vegas.
Raphinha, a former Leeds winger, scored an incredible goal in the first half to give Xavi’s team a 1-0 victory in the El Clasico. Following a dominant 6-0 victory over David Beckham’s Inter Miami a few days earlier, it was Barcelona’s second straight preseason triumph.
Raphinha, who moved to Camp Nou earlier this summer, made the most of his chance to shine against Real.
He controlled a hopeful pass from the wide area with one touch before beating Thibaut Courtois with a vicious left-footed shot.
Rafinha’s goal ought to have been the main talking point, but it wasn’t until later in the first half. Jordi Alba’s cynical takedown of Vinicius Jr. during the confrontation between the two teams resulted in the veteran Spain international receiving a yellow card.
When the two teams’ players began to argue with the referee, Rodrygo was obviously not amused by something Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets said.
The Real forward shoved his opponent, drawing a response from teammates Busquets and Gavi.
Following a collision between new Real signing Antonio Rudiger and Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, both teams’ players began pushing one another.
The argument quickly subsided, and the referee decided against punishing anyone that was involved in the heat-up.
