Barcelona need Dembele to stay! 5 things we learned as the winger stars in testy Real Madrid clash

Ousmane Dembele is linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but he is still immensely important for Barca.

Dembele scored the opener, and should have added at least one more, as Barcelona put away Real Madrid in an intriguing preseason clash. But the 3-0 margin of Barcelona’s victory didn’t capture the intensity of the contest. This was a rapid matchup, one that could have swung either way.

Barcelona enjoyed the better of the play early, and almost grabbed the lead, after new signing Oriol Romeu rattled a volley off the bar. The opener came shortly after, with Dembele lashing a shot into the bottom corner from a well-worked set piece routine. An instinctive stop from Thibaut Courtois prevented him from grabbing a second.

Madrid had their opportunities, though, and were awarded a penalty inside 20 minutes thanks to a Ronald Araujo handball. But Vinicius Jr smashed the spot kick off the bar, assuming penalty duties after Karim Benzema’s departure. They came even closer just before the break, hitting the woodwork three times in the same sequence.

Los Blancos were more assertive after the break, enjoying long spells of possession and creating copious chances. But Barcelona’s La Liga-best defence held them off, and Marc Andre ter Stegen was seldom tested. A wonderful strike from academy product Fermin Lopez sealed the game late on, while Ferran Torres capitalised on a loose Real Madrid backline to grab the third.

Everything seems set for a testy first real Clasico in late October. If it’s anything like this memorable contest, it will make for gripping viewing.

GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at AT&T Stadium…