Ousmane Dembele is linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but he showed against Real Madrid that 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 on, 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 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…
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It didn't feel like a friendly
These two sides were never going to play a tame contest. It was clear early on, in Dembele's celebration – a passionate careen to the corner flag – that this was still very much a Clasico.
But it wasn't supposed to be this fiery. The referee handed out four yellow cards in the first half, and could have shown more. Frenkie de Jong was particularly culpable, clattering Aurelien Tchouameni towards the end of the half.
But he wasn't the only one. Jude Bellingham flew into tackles. Ronald Araujo wasn't afraid to throw an elbow. Romeu was as physical as advertised. By half time, both benches were snarling at the officials, who had swiftly lost control of the game. And it wasn't much better after the break. Tackles continued to add up, and more yellows were dished out. This matchup, it appears, never loses its passion.
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Dembele gets in the goalscoring groove
It's not clear who Dembele will be playing for by the start of the season. Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly set to activate his €50m (£43m/$54m) release clause, hoping that the France international can be the right-winger they need. For now, though, he seems to be nearing his best for Barca.
The Frenchman opened the scoring for Barca with an instinctive finish, receiving a Pedri pass at a tight angle and lashing it into the bottom corner. He should have had a second later in the half, but saw his effort saved by Courtois.
Dembele, the creative presence, has been vital to Barca's success under Xavi with his angled passes and neat crosses. And that side of his game was very much apparent here. He fed Lewandowski for a chance, and almost set up Alejandro Balde, too. Dembele was far better contained by Fran Garcia after the break, but his damage was done. If it is his last game for the Catalan club, he has certainly shown the club what they might lose.
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Araujo vs Vinicius delivers — again
With Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and now Karim Benzema gone, Vinicius has become the new galactico of this Madrid team. These days, he's a wonderful watch, all stepovers and sharp cuts. But, for some reason, he never seems to get the better of Araujo. Every time Barca and Madrid play, the Blaugrana switch the centre-back onto the right and task him with shutting down Vinicius.
The two had a fine duel on Saturday. It was a bit more even than in months past, with Vinicius enjoying his share of mazy runs, only to be met with a hard tackle or sneaky foul from his opposite number. The Brazilian grew into the game in the second half, though, enjoying more space to run into, and weaving through the Barca backline with ease.
Still, he never found the killer pass, or took the right shot. And Araujo went about his work diligently until he was removed. There will be many more of these duels to come, one would hope.
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Some early, and potentially crucial, injuries for both sides
They were probably precautionary, but both Ilkay Gundogan and Andreas Christensen were removed in the first half. The loss of Gundogan, in particular, will be of concern for the Blaugrana. They have very little financial flexibility, and the former Manchester City man was set to be their marquee signing this summer.
Madrid, meanwhile, saw Ferland Mendy limp off. The left-back has been injury ridden for almost a year now, struggling with a series of muscle problems that have seen him fall down the pecking order in the Spanish capital. He wasn't helped by Fran Garcia's showing the second half.
The former Rayo Vallecano man was far more assured than the player he replaced, helping Madrid settle into a game they once seemed well out of. A lot can, of course, change in a few weeks. But these games are crucial for establishing roles for the season.