Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso says he will “not lose sight of what’s important” and praised Vinicius Junior despite the striker’s fiery reaction to being substituted in the La Liga win over Barcelona.
Brazil international Vinicius Junior was clearly angry when Rodrygo replaced him in the 72nd minute of the 2-1 home win at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham scored in the first half either side of Fermin Lopez’s reply.
“Now we will enjoy [the win]”, said Alonso, who won his first Clasico as Madrid coach. “When the time comes, we will talk about these things in the dressing room, of course.”
βItβs VinΓcius having a tantrumβ π£οΈ
The Brazilian was not very happy with Xabi Alonso’s decision to replace him at ElClΓ‘sico π¬
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β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 26, 2025
Madrid vs Barcelona: praise from Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior produced five goals and four assists in seven matches between August 24 and October 4, but did not start for the first time in almost two months as Madrid won 1-0 at Getafe last Sunday.
“He contributed a lot,” Alonso said of the 25-year-old’s performance against Barca, which put Los Blancos five points clear of their second-placed opponents after 10 league matches.
βHe feels like the whole world is against himβ π£οΈ@GuillemBalague And @GaizkaMendieta6 discover the ups and downs of Vini Jr’s role in ElClΓ‘sico ππ
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β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 26, 2025
“All coaches know that there are different personalities. I take a lot of positives from Vini Junior’s performance and I don’t want to lose sight of what’s important.
“It’s an important and deserved victory which could have been bigger given the chances we had and the [overturned] penalty [for Madrid after two minutes].
βItβs important to get the feeling of being a competitive team back in big games.β
Alonso: ‘ClΓ‘sico clashes have always happened’
Alonso was not concerned by an altercation between players on the pitch after full time of a match which resulted in Pedri being sent off from Barca.
βThese clashes have always happened and are a consequence of the desire to win,β Alonso suggested. βThere is no reason to be alarmed by a healthy, respectful and good-natured confrontation.
Spirits are overflowing at ElClΓ‘sico π‘
Pedri’s late red card fuels anger on both sides and the chaos continues after the full-time whistle π±
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β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 26, 2025
“It was the tension of an important match and a close result. We didn’t concede too many chances and I consider that completely normal.
“You shouldn’t read too much into these tense moments. All kinds of things happened during the Clasicos.
βBefore the game we talked about the importance of not only getting the three points, but also seeing where we came from and what we wanted to be.β
Exceptional assist from Jude Bellingham π₯
A superb turn and pass from the Englishman is completed by Kylian MbappΓ© βͺ
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β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 26, 2025
Real Madrid: Bernabeu supporters are ‘fundamental’
βI’m very happy for the guys because they needed the feeling of winning a big match like this Clasico,β added Alonso. βThe motivation was total.
“It’s not just the three points, it’s a victory with extra meaning. Even so, we are only at the beginning and we have a lot of work to do.
“We wanted to feel good and that’s how it happened. For the future we need the same feelings as today.
“We had a lot of players for this match and countered our opponents very well. The team was very solid defensively, even if [Barcelonaβs] the goal came from our loss of the ball.
Marcus Rashford assists FermΓn! π΅π΄
Everything is equal in ElClΓ‘sico now as Barcelona take advantage of Arda GΓΌler mistake π€
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β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 26, 2025
βWe created a lot of chances up front. The energy, conviction and competitiveness of the team were important.
“We left the stadium very happy and I saw the guys and the fans having fun. There was a really good connection and it was important for the fans to see their team compete and win in a big match.
“They appreciated everything and that’s what we need. This project is only just beginning, but the link with the Bernabeu is fundamental and I noticed it today.”
Jude Bellingham hits the ClΓ‘sico! π
Real Madrid regain lead against Barcelona as midfielder comes on βͺ
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β Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 26, 2025
Real Madrid team against Barcelona
Alonso made two changes to his starting team since the 1-0 win over Juventus in the Champions League four days earlier.
Dean Huijsen returned from injury and replaced Raul Asencio in central defense, while Eduardo Camavinga was preferred to Brahim Diaz in midfield.
Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been named on the bench.
Real Madrid starting lineup: Federic, Federica Valverde, Military Eder, Dean Huijsen, Old Carres, Jude Bellingham, Camavingian Education, Chuler Arda, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid substitutes: Andrii Lunin, Dani Carvajal, Endrick, Rodrygo, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gonzalo Garcia, Raul Asencio, Dani Ceballos, Fran Garcia, Brahim Diaz, Ferland Mendy, Franco Mastantuono
Barcelona team against Real Madrid
Barcelona and Brazil striker Raphinha suffered a setback during his recovery from a hamstring problem, so Marcus Rashford moved to the left flank and Ferran Torres came up front.
Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong were doubtful but were both fit, while Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Joan Garcia and Marc-Andre ter Stegen were injured.
Barcelona starting lineup: Wojciech Szczesny, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Marcus Rashford, Ferran Torres
Barcelona substitutes: Diego Kochen, Ronald Araujo, Marc Casado, Gerard Martin, Marc Bernal, Jofre Torrents, Dro Fernandez, Roony Bardghji, Toni Fernandez, Eder Aller, Xavi Espart
