Rodri explains the reason for the painful 'El Clasico' defeat — what was missing for Barcelona?

28 October 2026, 09:11·49·Sport

In the central clash of the 10th round of the Spanish La Liga held on October 25, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 on their home turf in 'El Clasico'. The Catalan club's midfielder Rodri assessed this difficult defeat, acknowledging the opponent's superiority and openly stating his team's main shortcoming.

According to the influential Spanish publication Diario Sport, the experienced midfielder emphasized the lack of intensity in front of the opponent's goal, noting that the season is still ahead and that the right conclusions must be drawn from the defeat.

"We lacked intensity in the penalty area": Rodri's objective analysis

The Catalans' midfield leader expressed the following important points regarding the outcome of the match:

Courageously acknowledging the opponent's superiority: "If the opponent plays better than you on the field, you just have to admit it. That evening, our team lacked enough intensity in the opponent's penalty area," the player explained;
The season is just beginning: "It's only October now, which is good for us. There is a very long competition distance ahead";
A call for humility and hard work: "We must approach the rest of the season with humility, continue to work tirelessly, and immediately correct the mistakes we have made."

Chronicle of the October 25 'El Clasico': Mbappe's benefit

The match in Madrid was intense and fierce until the final minutes:

Mbappe's opening strike: In the 41st minute, Kylian Mbappe put Real ahead (1-0);
Raphinha's response: In the 61st minute, Brazilian winger Raphinha restored balance with a beautiful goal (1-1);
The decisive moment in the 87th minute: With 3 minutes left until the end of regulation time, Kylian Mbappe completed a brace, gifting the Madrid side an important 2-1 victory.

From Rodri's words, it is clear that Barcelona is not turning this setback into a tragedy and is focusing its attention on the upcoming important rounds in the championship race.