It seemed weird at first to witness a friendly "Classico", but the two most powerful and exciting teams in the world, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, offered the fans the show they expected. Barcelona went on to win 3-2 and lift the International Champions Cup trophy. Barcelona won all three of its games in this pre-season tournament, while Madrid finished last in the group with a single point.

Barcelona's convincing win over Madrid

Barcelona started off the game in a dominating fashion. The Catalans were already up 2-0 by the seventh minute of the game thanks to the brilliant goals of Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic.

Messi delivered one of his traditional slaloms inside the box and was able to beat Keylor Navas as the ball was deflected by a Madrid defender into the net. Rakitic's goal came from a Neymar assist that turned into a powerful shot into the goal.

Madrid responded with an impressive goal from Mateo Kovacic from outside the box. The equalizer came from the boot of youngster Marco Asensio after a frenetic counter-attack that surprised Barcelona and had Asensio in front of goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

Gerard Pique was able to give his team the victory in the second half with a pretty finish off a set-piece. Barcelona dominated the play for the majority of the game and could have widened the gap in the score, thanks to several clear occasions.

New coach, renewed spirits

Barcelona seem to be on the right track. The new manager, Ernesto Valverde, might have found a way to reset the team. It is only pre-season, but Barcelona showcased their dominant play yet again in every game so far. Messi is showing that he is not ready to slow down, and when the best footballer of his generation displays such commitment and excitement, then everyone else follows his lead with ease.

The Neymar-drama seems to not have harmed the team's harmony so far. It looks like Neymar already has a foot set in Paris. All Barcelona wants is a resolution as soon as possible. It awaits the moment to pursue the likes of Paulo Dybala, Philippe Coutinho, or Antoine Griezmann with the $260 million Neymar will leave behind.

Barcelona need to move on from a player who incomprehensibly is unsatisfied with the money he currently earns and the unique teammates he is surrounded by. This could have been Neymar's last game with Barca; Sergio Ramos surely hopes so. This is what Madrid's captain had to say after the game: "I hope [he leaves]. It would be less of a problem for us."

Madrid needs to react

Real Madrid clearly have some room for improvement. Correcting the defensive deficiencies showed during this pre-season will surely be a point of emphasis by coach Zinedine Zidane. The UEFA Super Cup is around the corner (August 8). The first title of the new season will be on the line. A familiar face, Jose Mourinho, will try to make sure that it is Manchester United that emerge victorious.

But Madrid will hold onto the hope that the return of Cristiano Ronaldo can lift their spirits and give them the advantage.

Real Madrid will soon face FC Barcelona again on a much anticipated Spanish Super Cup. The first leg will take place on August 13. Madrid and Barcelona are ready to dominate world football one more year.
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