After weeks of anticipation the moment had finally arrived, the stage was set for the latest instalment of club football’s greatest rivalry.
Before El Clasico, Barcelona and Real Madrid joined in paying tribute to those affected by the attacks in Paris. Yet after that it was down to business.
On paper Lionel Messi’s absence from Barcelona’s starting XI made Real Madrid’s starting XI look the stronger, however that would prove to be the only positive on the night for a Real Madrid side that looked lost in their own stadium.
The estimated 600 million worldwide viewers were treated to a memorable El Clasico, however the result was in no doubt after the first hour.
Barcelona settled into the match much quicker than the hosts and needed just 11 minutes to break the deadlock, intricate build-up play involving Andreas Iniesta and Sergi Roberto resulted in Luis Suarez calmly caressing the ball beyond the reach of Keylor Navas from just inside the box.
Barcelona did not let up as they continued to fluently move the ball from defence through to attack, as ever Iniesta and Sergio Busquets were central to this. The two Spaniards combined for countless confident passing combinations that served to unlock Madrid’s helpless midfield.
The home fans grew frustrated and this served to only further demoralise their team as the hosts showed no signs of cohesion or chemistry in their build-up play. The only chances Madrid could conjure up in the first hour of the match came from long range and the odd defensive error.
Despite Javier Mascherano being withdrawn with an injury Barcelona continued to manoeuvre through the Madrid ranks, which resulted from them continuously involving their keeper, Claudio Bravo, in their build-up play.
Cristiano Ronaldo urged his team to press the visitors in an attempt to win the ball, however this served to benefit Barca as the host’s advancements allowed for space to open up in between Madrid’s midfield and so called defence. With half-time closing in, Iniesta released Neymar who calmly slotted the ball past a once again helpless Navas.
The scoring of Barca’s second goal served to only further frustrate the Madrid players as a series of cynical incidents began to occur in the match. Ronaldo vented his frustrations on Dani Alves and was fortunate not to receive sanction for a sneaky elbow to the Brazilian’s face.
Barca finished the half with 79 per cent passing accuracy and the home side left the pitch with their fans calling for president Florentino Perez to be “out”.
The visitors picked up where they left off in the second half with the South American duo of Suarez and Neymar continuing to dazzle Madrid’s unorganised defence. The result was confirmed in the 53rd minute when another passage of intricate play was capped off with an unerring finish from Iniesta, taking the scoreline to 4-0.
To make things better, Lionel Messi made his return in 56th minute after a lengthy absence.
The match was over before the hour mark and on this night in Madrid it was a win for the football purists and the belief that it’s not how hard you play but how smart you play.
As another El Clasico enters the history books, the question is which of the A-League’s fixtures has the potential to become Australia’s El Clasico. Would it be a local derby or interstate grudge match?
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Greek side Olympiacos scored two second-half goals after Villa clawed back from two goals down to win 4-2 to take the advantage after the…
Tammy Abraham came on in stoppage time of Roma's 2-nil loss to Bayer Leverkusen, but should have had a consolation goal.
And so the reigning champions claim the Premiers Plate and now line up for consecutive championships. With their win last night, Central Coast is…
There have been a seemingly endless number of negative, doom-and-gloom articles about the A-Leagues, most of them related to the APL’s mismanagement. This article…
Nestory Irankunda was denied a parting gift in his final A-League appearance before heading overseas, with Central Coast's Danny Vukovic pulling off a spectacular…
The Liverpool great was enjoying himself with the Borussia Dortmund fans and tried to rope in Jadon Sancho to the celebrations.
