Although they have not won any of the major trophies yet, the current season is turning out to be another highly memorable one for Real Madrid. After having defeated one of the best sides in Europe, Manchester City, last Wednesday, Carlo Ancelotti’s men got another great victory as they beat FC Barcelona in the last El Clasico of this season.
It was a roller-coaster of a match, with both teams looking to get the three points. FC Barcelona were naturally desperate for a win, as only a victory in this match could have allowed them to remain in the race for the La Liga title. On the other hand, a victory for Real Madrid was going to practically ensure them the title this season.
It was the second scenario that ultimately became a reality in this match. Real Madrid go 11 points clear with this win in La Liga, and there are only six games left in the campaign.
However, it was the Catalans who took the lead first as Andreas Christensen scored in the 6th minute of the match. Los Blancos equalized with a Vinicius Junior goal from a spot-kick in the 18th minute, after Lucas Vazquez tripped over a trailing leg of Pau Cubarsi.
Barcelona once again went ahead in the second half, as Fermin Lopez scored from a rebound after Andriy Lunin failed to control a Lamine Yamal cross that was dummied by Ferran Torres. But, once again, this lead did not last long, as Lucas Vazquez scored with a volley from a wonderful Vinicius cross only four minutes after Fermin’s goal.
The two sides continued to attack and parry one another in the ensuing minutes, but it was the Royal Whites who ultimately scored the winning goal in injury time. Jude Bellingham repeated his feats from the Montjuic El Clasico, as he scored in the 91st minute, and once again gave the Merengues the bragging rights over their most-hated rivals.
Several Real Madrid players stood out in this match, but it was the Dani Carvajal replacement, Lucas Vazquez, who impressed the most. He won the penalty that resulted in the first goal of the match for the Merengues, and then scored the second goal himself. The Spaniard also contributed to the winner as it was his assist that Bellingham converted to give Carlo Ancelotti’s team the victory.
Rudiger, Tchouameni, Bellingham, and Valverde were once again all on good form, and played a key role in getting the victory for Real Madrid. Fran Garcia, Eder Militao, and Joselu also contributed significantly as they came on the pitch from the bench in the latter parts of the second half.
However, Eduardo Camavinga was far from his best, as he failed to contain Lamine Yamal while playing as a left-back. Lunin also made some mistakes, and could have done better on the first Barcelona goal, but did keep a Lamine Yamal goal out from the goal-line, which also generated some controversy as Barcelona faithful believed the ball had crossed the line.
Rodrygo was also not able to showcase his talents much in this game. Vinicius Junior created a lot of danger in the Barcelona half, but was unable to finish a host of good chances.
Overall, Real Madrid seemed to have repeated their tactics from the Manchester City game, as they allowed Barcelona to test their defensive solidity for a significant part of the game, while remaining highly dangerous on the counter.
This approach once again paid dividends, and Carlo Ancelotti deserves full credit for getting this win that paves the way for the team towards another La Liga title.
