Barcelona won the first Clasico of the season on Saturday night after Pau Victor’s double gave them a 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid in New York.
It was another big win for Hansi Flick in pre-season after Barcelona also beat Premier League champions Manchester City on penalties earlier this week.
The match, which was played in front of a full house in New York, was suspended for an hour due to a heavy storm at MetLife Stadium. When the match resumed, Barcelona showed Real Madrid why it will not have everything in its favour in La Liga this season.
Here, Mail Sport picks out five things we learned from the game.
Barcelona won the first Clásico of the season by beating Real Madrid 2-1 in New York
The prolific Pau strikes again
Barcelona scored eight fewer goals than Real Madrid and six fewer than Girona in LaLiga last season.
Robert Lewandowski is also entering the final years of his career, so if Barcelona are to regain the title this season, they will need more firepower.
Go Pau Victor!
The 22-year-old is no prodigy, but he has been lethal during pre-season and his two goals here proved decisive. He also scored in that win over Manchester City.
After spending time on loan at Sabadell and Barcelona’s B team over the past two seasons, he finally looks ready for more first-team action and could be a dangerous new weapon for Flick.
Pau Victor scored twice for Barcelona and continued to prove his worth to Hansi Flick
Endrick needs time
With Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham expected to start most of the games in attack next season, this was a great opportunity for Endrick to show what he can do in big games.
Unfortunately, the 18-year-old seemed a little overwhelmed by the occasion and failed to do anything noteworthy.
It must be said that he has only just joined his new teammates and that the connections on the pitch are still being formed. For example, a late play in the first half was an opportunity that slipped away.
He also sent a shot wide that should have been on target in the first 45 minutes and then, as the game progressed, disappeared as Real searched for goals.
It’s not fair to put too many expectations on him for next season but, as many former Real Madrid players will point out, you don’t have much time to adapt at the Bernabeu.
Endrick started alone in attack, but the Brazilian struggled to make any impact on the game.
Flick is the real deal
Since Ernesto Valverde left in 2020, after having won two La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey, Barcelona have had a rather discouraging run of coaches.
The job seemed too big for Quique Setién and Ronald Koeman and, although Xavi won LaLiga, his inexperience ultimately showed as off-field issues swallowed up on-field issues.
But now in Flick they have a coach with a proven track record of success at Bayern Munich and who has a clear plan for how he wants his team to play.
The strategy, both in constructing the ball and in pressing without it, was clear and his team dominated for most of the match.
Bayern are also known for their political problems in the boardroom. If Flick manages to overcome them at Barcelona, he could have struck gold in the dugout.
Hansi Flick hasn’t been in charge for long, but his style is already evident in Barcelona’s game
Vinicius Jr is in a league of his own
Vinicius had only been on the pitch for five minutes but the injection of quality he brought to the match was notable.
It seemed as though no Real player had dribbled past his man all night, but Vinicius’ desire to do just that transformed the game.
He almost wanted it too much and at one point he was running and taking the ball away from his teammates when they were just a few metres away.
Vinicius could be forgiven for feeling the spotlight has shifted from him to Mbappe following the Frenchman’s successful arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
But rather than feeling threatened, he should be salivating at the damage an attack by himself, Mbappé, Bellingham and Rodrygo could cause European football.
Vinicius Jr had an immediate impact on Real Madrid’s game and his quality stood out
Warning about the World Cup
MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 World Cup final, but tonight we saw a genuine problem with hosting a major tournament in the United States in the summer.
After just 12 minutes, play was suspended for an hour due to stormy conditions that brought torrential rain and lightning.
Similarly, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Saturday night’s friendly between Premier League side Wolves and Germany’s RB Leipzig was marred by torrential rain.
Clouds gathered over MetLife Stadium before the game was halted for an hour due to a storm
Obviously, FIFA can’t predict or plan for adverse weather conditions, but advice for fans was a little confusing tonight.
They were first told to take shelter in the lobby as the storm continued, but were then allowed to return to their seats — and the players to the field — while the storm was still raging.
If you’re coming to the United States in 2026, the advice seems pretty clear: bring your ponchos because the World Cup could be soaked.