Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona, and this is how El Clasico ends… Jose Mourinho has once again failed to dominate Pep Guardiola’s men, but the match was far from being dull.
What else could we expect from El Clasico anyway? Only video highlights can best describe the heat of the match, in which both teams aimed for a famous victory.
Unexpectedly, it did not take too long for the scoreboard’s indication at the Santiago Bernabeu to change. A goal from Karim Benzema after only 21 seconds immediately put Real Madrid in front, subsequent to a costly mistake from Victor Valdes.
With the match going on at a lightening pace, Barcelona never looked too likely to net an equalizer. Conversely, it was Madrid who appeared to be perfectly on track as they fought to inflict even more pain on their visitors.
Real managed to maintain their advantage midway through the first half, thanks to what is now the fastest goal in El Clasico’s history. Nevertheless, the referee had to call for order before the half hour mark, as poorly timed challenges began to emerge. Xabi Alonso and Alexis Sanchez eventually received yellow cards.
On 30 minutes, Barcelona got back in the game in an exceptional manner. An excellent run from Lionel Messi past the Madrid defence gave Alexis Sanchez the chance to net a vital equalizer.
Both teams still kept pushing for more goals, but the tension raised, and Messi himself soon entered the referee’s book for a nasty foul. On 43 minutes though, the Argentine forward misbehaved again, but he luckily escaped a second booking that would have seen him get sent off.
Gerard Pique then also saw yellow early in the second period for badly tackling Cristiano Ronaldo. After a few attempts on goal from the Real Madrid winger, the hosts suddenly got behind following an own goal from Marcelo. The Brazilian defender was unable to control a volley from Xavi, and he did not escape his punishment.
Kaka’s entry in El Clasico later on appeared to be a smart decision from Jose Mourinho. Indeed, the Brazilian midfielder almost partnered with Ronaldo upfront to level the score around the hour mark.
Lassana Diarra and Pepe followed in the book shortly after, while Lionel Messi came close through a dangerous free-kick. On 66 minutes, former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas entered the scoring sheet to make the score line 3-1 in favour of Barcelona.
Dani Alves picked up a pass from a relentless Messi, and then whipped a perfect cross for Fabregas to head home with precision. Unforgettably, this great movement from the Catalans followed a sad miss from Ronaldo.
Sergio Ramos was shown a card on 70 minutes, and Alves almost set up Xavi for a fourth goal, but the Spaniard headed just wide. Kaka nearly came to Real’s rescue six minutes from time, but Valdes impressively tipped the ball away for a corner that failed to produce anything.
Barcelona tried to stay in control in the last moments of the match, knowing how important a win would be. Real Madrid were not able to make use of the additional time, and in the end, the match ended 3-1.
This means that Los Blancos’ race for La Liga title has become much harder, and at this point, Barcelona could simply think of staying in form to snatch the top position of the table.
Unexpectedly, it did not take too long for the scoreboard’s indication at the Santiago Bernabeu to change. A goal from Karim Benzema after only 21 seconds immediately put Real Madrid in front, subsequent to a costly mistake from Victor Valdes.
With the match going on at a lightening pace, Barcelona never looked too likely to net an equalizer. Conversely, it was Madrid who appeared to be perfectly on track as they fought to inflict even more pain on their visitors.
Real managed to maintain their advantage midway through the first half, thanks to what is now the fastest goal in El Clasico’s history. Nevertheless, the referee had to call for order before the half hour mark, as poorly timed challenges began to emerge. Xabi Alonso and Alexis Sanchez eventually received yellow cards.
On 30 minutes, Barcelona got back in the game in an exceptional manner. An excellent run from Lionel Messi past the Madrid defence gave Alexis Sanchez the chance to net a vital equalizer.
Both teams still kept pushing for more goals, but the tension raised, and Messi himself soon entered the referee’s book for a nasty foul. On 43 minutes though, the Argentine forward misbehaved again, but he luckily escaped a second booking that would have seen him get sent off.
Gerard Pique then also saw yellow early in the second period for badly tackling Cristiano Ronaldo. After a few attempts on goal from the Real Madrid winger, the hosts suddenly got behind following an own goal from Marcelo. The Brazilian defender was unable to control a volley from Xavi, and he did not escape his punishment.
Kaka’s entry in El Clasico later on appeared to be a smart decision from Jose Mourinho. Indeed, the Brazilian midfielder almost partnered with Ronaldo upfront to level the score around the hour mark.
Lassana Diarra and Pepe followed in the book shortly after, while Lionel Messi came close through a dangerous free-kick. On 66 minutes, former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas entered the scoring sheet to make the score line 3-1 in favour of Barcelona.
Dani Alves picked up a pass from a relentless Messi, and then whipped a perfect cross for Fabregas to head home with precision. Unforgettably, this great movement from the Catalans followed a sad miss from Ronaldo.
Sergio Ramos was shown a card on 70 minutes, and Alves almost set up Xavi for a fourth goal, but the Spaniard headed just wide. Kaka nearly came to Real’s rescue six minutes from time, but Valdes impressively tipped the ball away for a corner that failed to produce anything.
Barcelona tried to stay in control in the last moments of the match, knowing how important a win would be. Real Madrid were not able to make use of the additional time, and in the end, the match ended 3-1.
This means that Los Blancos’ race for La Liga title has become much harder, and at this point, Barcelona could simply think of staying in form to snatch the top position of the table.
