Vinicius steals the show in a hit parade of world stars

Seven former or current world champions were on display in the Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona but a young Brazilian few people would have heard of 18 months ago stole the show with a memorable performance that had class written all over it.

Vinicius Junior celebrates a goal for Real Madrid Source: Getty Images

Madrid striker Vinicius Junior, who is only 19, tormented Barcelona for most of the night and played a big part in a deserved 2-0 victory that put the Merengues back on top of LaLiga.

Barca fullback Nelson Semedo was given a harrowing time by Vinicius who opened the scoring in the second half with a deflected shot before substitute Mariano put the icing on the cake with an injury-time goal.

The Brazilian prodigy who started his precocious career with Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo clearly is a symbol of Real Madrid’s future.

He should play a big part in Real Madrid’s long-term plans because the team that has been the dominant force in European football for the last six years is not young any more and a rejuvenation is due. Some say it is overdue.

Yet the immediate future is looking good for Madrid, at least on the domestic front.

Madrid hold a one-point lead over their fierce rivals and it is still far too early to proclaim them favourites for the title.

But they dealt Barca a massive psychological blow by first standing up to the might of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann thanks largely to the immense contributions of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and centre-half Rafael Varane and then outplaying them in a mesmerising second-half display.

So where do beaten Barca go from here?

It is clear that the once mighty side is in serious decline. They have won the last two Spanish championships despite their suspect defence but they have not reached the UEFA Champions League final since they beat Juventus 3-1 in 2015 in Berlin and they have suffered some humiliating losses on the continent since. 

It is fair to say that Barca have remained competitive largely due to the influence of Messi, who has carried his less gifted teammates with his extraordinary exploits for far too long.

You wonder if the Argentine superstar can keep getting Barca out of jail virtually on his own.

Messi was uncharacteristically wasteful when presented with two glorious scoring opportunities at the Bernabeu, a venue where he has produced some of the most magical moments of his career.

In the first half he broke clear of Madrid’s back line and came one on one with Courtois but allowed the Belgian custodian to save his firm but rather central drive.

Then after the break, with Madrid already a goal up, he stole a metre from Marcelo and Varane and hared towards goal but he allowed the Brazilian to recover with a perfect tackle to save the day.

With Messi showing such unusual profligacy in front of goal Barca must have known then that they were a beaten side and it was no surprise that Mariano added insult to injury late on.

Barcelona will have no complaints. They did well in the first half but Madrid were clearly the better team over the 90 minutes.

World football’s biggest and most appealing domestic fixture turned out to be yet another captivating contest that justified all the hype surrounding it. The Clasico rarely fails to deliver, doesn’t it?

Both mega clubs will now turn their immediate attention to Europe.

In the last 16 Madrid have a mountain to climb after losing 2-1 at home to Manchester City but this Clasico victory will boost their morale no end.

Barcelona are in the box seat after a 1-1 draw at Napoli but by the same token their confidence would have been jolted by their failure in the match that matters most to them.

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