By the time Jesús Gil Manzano blew his half-time whistle, Kylian Mbappé’s fifth-minute opener felt like a distant memory — during which Barcelona had scored four goals. Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha had already dismantled an already dismal Real Madrid defense. Alejandro Balde made it 1-4 deep into stoppage time in the first half.

Real Madrid players trudged into the tunnel with their shoulders slumped in disappointment. The half-time scoreline was shocking for many, yet oddly unsurprising for others. Carlo Ancelotti had fielded a midfield with minimal ball retention ability outside of perhaps Jude Bellingham — who had a very quiet first half. This midfield was pitted against a trio of Pedri, Gavi, and Marc Casadó, with arguably Spain’s best attacking trio this season lurking ahead of them. Dani Ceballos or Luka Modrić should have started this game, but Real Madrid learned this lesson in the most catastrophic way possible.

Ceballos replaced Eduardo Camavinga in the second half, but with a scoreline like that, Barcelona were always more likely to pile on the misery — and they did, with Raphinha adding the fifth goal shortly after the break. Wojciech Szczęsny’s red card briefly sparked some enthusiasm in the Madrid dugout, as Rodrygo converted from an unlikely free-kick situation in the aftermath.

This game was long lost in the first half. Ancelotti’s stubborn selection choices, devoid of any specific tactical scheme to counter Barcelona, once again led to a humiliating defeat. Ancelotti has suffered losses of this nature against Barcelona in every season since his return in 2021.