Real Madrid started well, dominating the game for the first quarter of an hour. The team coached by Carlo Ancelotti started the match strong, applying intense pressure on Barcelona by pressing them high and near their penalty area. They appeared to have the upper hand. It appeared as though Barca was beginning to wither.
Frenkie de Jong evaded two sliding challenges, the first from Luka Modric and the second from Toni Kroos. Both players were attempting to bring him down. Vinicius Junior took it upon himself to do what his more seasoned teammates had been unable to do, bracing his body against the Dutchman’s and ultimately dragging him to the ground in a position that was virtually a headlock. It was as though we had stumbled into the realm of wrestling and had completely forgotten about football. This was likely going to be the most appealing aspect of the contest.
De Jong hauled himself up off the ground, and both he and Vinicius Jr. swiftly realized that there was nothing more at play than a straightforward spirit of competition. Even the Brazilian was taken aback when he saw that he had been shown a yellow card, and his response was just one of the numerous odd situations that summed up an El Clasico match that was lacking in its traditional allure.
Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, stated that he found it “odd” to see Barcelona line up in the manner in which they did. Xavi’s team will undoubtedly view their 1-0 victory in a favorable light, and there were true quite a few beautiful moments throughout the game, but the fact is that there were also quite a few nasty ones.
Madrid Fans Protested Outside the Stadium
Before the game began, Real Madrid supporters held a demonstration outside the stadium in which they referred to the Negreira case. This was the first Clasico to take place after the scandal that broke only a few weeks ago when it was reported that prosecutors have been investigating payments that Barca made to a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The scandal was brought to light by the news that Barca made payments to the company. During that period, he held the position of vice president of the referee committee for Spanish football.
In terms of refereeing decisions, Enriquez Negreira has denied that he has ever shown any bias toward Barcelona. Barca has acknowledged that they contracted the services of an “external consultant” who sent reports “relevant to professional refereeing.”
But, none of this bodes well for football in Spain as a whole, and it was quite a sight to witness perhaps fifty home fans tossing fake 500-euro notes with the face of Barcelona president Joan Laporta into the pitch-black night sky. Even inside the stadium, it continued, with the home crowd sarcastically calling for Xavi to bring on Enriquez Negreira as a substitute. Before the start of the game, a massive tifo bore the crest of Real Madrid alongside the words “limpia y blanca, que no empana” (clean and white, never tarnished).
The Deflected Goal Decided the Game
After Vinicius Jr. and De Jong had a scuffle with each other for a couple of minutes, the away team took the lead. They showed how good they were at high press by getting Eduardo Camavinga to make a mistake, which led to a goal right away. It was a sequence of plays that was best summed up by using that same word again: ugly. It was the best way to sum up a section of the play in a rivalry that has over the years featured so many incredible displays of skill and quality.
Following a series of deflections involving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, defender Eder Militao, and the covering Nacho Fernandez on the line, Franck Kessie drove on goal and eventually saw his shot go into the net.
Madrid Lacked Composure and Barca was Resolute
The attacks on Madrid were brutal as well. It’s possible that the home team’s lack of composure when they had the ball in Barcelona’s half of the field was because of how hard they worked to play a high-pressing style. In the pursuit of an equalizer that would not materialize, it appeared as though neither Modric nor Kroos nor Camavinga was able to select the appropriate pass at the appropriate time. Benzema spoke out for everyone to be calm, but it appeared like Barcelona had already identified a hole in their opponents and had taken refuge in the protection of their territory.
Even though Madrid has often been able to count on Vinicius Jr. in situations like this, even he couldn’t score this time, in large part because Ronald Araujo played so well. Vinicius Jr. had been averaging 13 takeovers per game so far this season, but under the close supervision of the Uruguayan, he was relegated to producing only five, none of which had an effect that was telling. Madrid had a lot of energy on the field and fought hard, but neither of these things was particularly enjoyable to watch.
Ancelotti’s Plan Backfired
“We planned an intense game, and we did it. We pressed high,” Ancelotti stated after the game, expressing some pleasure in his team’s performance. The percentage of time that Barcelona held control of the ball was merely 34%.
Although this is true, it sometimes felt as though Madrid was suffering from an excessive amount of intensity. All of this led to a game full of fouls and individual mistakes, especially in attack. An apparent lack of ideas merely generated a flurry of unsuccessful balls into the box. There were 40 crosses, but only eight of them worked, and none of them was a problem for Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barcelona goal. Madrid failed to register a single shot on target at home for the first time since 2010.
Near the end of the game, a feeling of weariness surged across the same Bernabeu stands that had before been incandescent. One angry fan seemed to try to rise against it by attempting to jump out onto the pitch, but security was able to stop him in time.
Jorge Valdano, a former player and coach for Real Madrid, was quoted as saying that ninety minutes played at the Bernabeu might feel like an eternity. It is a common way to describe Madrid’s strength and determination, as well as its ability to get back on its feet after hard times. Even Rodrygo, who comes off the bench late in games and averages 0.91 goals per 90 minutes, was unable to make a difference on Thursday night. Rodrygo is used to making a difference from the bench.
Yet, Ancelotti believes that they still have a chance to win the tie. The second leg of this Copa del Rey semi-final will take place at Camp Nou on April 5, and the Italian has stated that he does not believe Barcelona would play a game like this at Camp Nou. This statement was made one month before the second leg.
Before that, on March 19, the two teams that compete against each other in La Liga will clash in Barcelona. Tickets to El Clásico are like gold dust, especially when the La Liga title is still on the line, but seatsnet.com has got you covered. Madrid doesn’t think that Barca’s seven-point lead is impossible to catch up to, but they also know that things aren’t going well right now.
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