Real Madrid edged the Clasico in their favour, beating traditional rivals Barcelona 2-1 at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday evening.
According to the newspaper Sport, Jose Mourinho's side walked onto the pitch knowing exactly what they wanted to do, particularly at the back, where Marc Cucurella took on the task of man-marking Lamine Yamal and used plenty of force to do it.
Minutes before the break, the Spaniard turned provider. His superb attacking move ended with a Kylian Mbappe goal, after Gerard Martin failed to clear the ball.
Cucurella's display was one of the main reasons for Real Madrid's defensive solidity. He shut down the threat of Lamine Yamal all afternoon.
In the 32nd minute, Yamal turned to referee Martinez Munuera to complain about a clear holding offence by Cucurella, demanding a yellow card. It was not the first foul the defender had committed against him.
Watching Cucurella escape punishment left Yamal frustrated, and the moment did not go unnoticed during the broadcast.
Back when Cucurella's move to Real Madrid was officially announced, Yamal spoke to the programme "Tiempo de Juego" on Cadena Cope radio about the 2026 World Cup, but he also shared his thoughts on the defender joining the Whites.
"I told him that he would start the first match, but in the second match he would sit on the bench, because I would devour him," Yamal said at the time.
In the first Clasico, though, it was Cucurella who imposed his dominance over Yamal.