“Barcelona were better,” says Real Madrid’s defender Dani Carvajal after 3-0 loss to Barca

Texas [US], July 30 (ANI): Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-0 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas in a pre-season match on Sunday. Following the defeat Real Madrid’s defender Dani Carvajal said, in the first 15 minutes of each half Barcelona were better.

Ousmane Dembele, Fermin Lopez Martin and Ferran Torres were the goalscorers for Barcelona.

The match saw history being scripted as it recorded the largest-ever turnout for an ‘El Clasico’ in the United States. It also recorded the highest club soccer match attendance in AT&T Stadium history.

According to Real Madrid’s website Dani Carvajal said, “In the first 15 minutes of each half Barcelona were better and we didn’t start the way we wanted to. Then we got the upper hand and created more chances. The team managed to get enough of the ball and win the ball up front. It was a demanding and preparatory match. We did things well and we’re adapting to the new system.”

He added, “We weren’t sharp in front of goal but we did everything we could to score. The last two goals caught us off guard and we shouldn’t have conceded them. Despite this, the team is on the right track and we got quite a few things right.”

Dani Carvajal said, “These games are always high intensity and everything that happened on the pitch stays there. We’re looking forward to facing each other in the regular season.”

31-year-old Carvajal stated, “We have to give the team width and be mindful of cover. This system gives us more freedom. We have full-backs that like to get forward so that’s good for us.”

While concluding he said, “The lads we have now are no longer promising youngsters. They are enjoying a very good present and are capable of starting for Real Madrid. We have to give them all the confidence we can because I’m sure they’ll give us a lot of joy.”

In the first half, Barcelona started off well with attacking forays into the rival half. Real Madrid was slow to get into their strides in the initial stages of the match.

In the 15th minute of the match, Barcelona were awarded a free-kick which they took in the smartest way possible. Ilkay Gundagon went on to take the free-kick, and he passed the ball to Pedri who was just outside the 18-year-box, Pedri sent a through ball to Dembele and he smashed the ball past Real Madrid’s goalkeeper.

This move by Barca looked like a training ground routine which was brought straight into the match.

Real Madrid was awarded a penalty kick in the first half. Vinicius Junior had a chance to level the score but missed the penalty. His shot hit the crossbar and the ball went out of play.

The first half ended with Barcelona leading 1-0.

In the second half, Real Madrid kept the pressure only on Barcelona as they kept taking on shots at the goal.

Barcelona were, however, lucky as Real Madrid’s four attempts on goal struck the crossbar.

Real were piling on the pressure and came ever closer to getting a goal back.

However, a defensive mistake allowed Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez Martin to score a second.

In the 85th minute of the match, Martin scored with a stunning left-footer from outside of the 18-yard box.

Barcelona’s third goal in the additional time came as the icing on the cake.

In the 90+1 minute, Ferran Torres scored Barca’s third of the night.

Barcelona took 12 shots at the Real goal, of which seven were on target. Their possession on the ball during the game was 47 per cent. They completed 458 passes with an accuracy of 86 per cent.

Barcelona conceded 17 fouls and received three yellow cards.

Conversely, Real Madrid took 29 shots at goal of which only 5 were on target. They had 53 per cent possession of the ball. They completed 498 passes with an accuracy of 88 per cent.

Real Madrid conceded 10 fouls and received four yellow cards during the match.

Barcelona will be playing their next pre-season fixture on Wednesday agaisnt AC Milan while Real Madrid will be facing Juventus on Thursday for their last pre-season match.