What a
match! And what a night it was for Real
Madrid! The men faced FC Barcelona in
away game at Camp Nou for a La Liga Clásico.
It certainly does not get bigger than this rivalry in the world of
football and these clashes never disappoint in the arena of entertainment. Statistics did not seem to be in Madrid's
favor as Barça went on unbeaten at Camp Nou in La Liga, with 15 wins and one
draw. Additionally, Barça had not tasted
defeat against RM in their last seven meetings in all competitions. However, RM claimed victory in 12 of their
last 13 matches away from home. Prior to
the match, a mere four points separated the Spanish powerhouses at the top of
the tables, implying that tonight's match was a must-win for both sides. And it would be Real Madrid, clinching a win
– the team now seven points clear at the top.
Los Blancos looked strong from the get go, with Cristiano's header at the 5'
minute mark, but Barça GK Victor Valdes did well to defend his post, tipping
the ball over the ball... as if I expected anything less of him. Speaking of GK's, Iker Casillas displayed
some tremendous goalkeeping a minute later, coming
out of his box and blocking Dani Alves's run.
A goal
was forthcoming, for either side, and it would be Madrid that beat Barça to the
punch. Shock came over the stadium
teeming with Culés. Did that just happen? Did Valdes really make an error?
Captain Puyol? While it most
certainly was not the first time Madrid got ahead in a Clásico, but the goal
was certainly preventable. German
international Sami Khedira broke the deadlock at the 17' minute mark from close
range, tapping the ball in easily. In
addition to scoring the first goal of the evening, Khedira made history in
scoring Madrid's 108th goal, the most ever scored in a single
league season. Danke schön, Khedira!
Time
seemed to drag on after that goal as Barça seemed intent on scoring that
equalizer. Xavi was close when Lionel
Messi played him in, but the shot went wide.
Furthermore, our midfield did brilliantly in limiting his chances. However, RM's defensive line as the half drew
closer to an end seemed to be reduced to the lone San Iker. I openly
criticized them on Twitter, only to see Pepe booked seconds later. I suppose that's what happens when I
criticize my team's defense. Nothing
else came out of the first half and los
Blancos entered descanso with a
one-point advantage over the home team.
Xabi
Alonso made a brilliant tackle at the 47', dispossessing Messi beautifully and
fairly. Referee Alberto Undiano saw it
differently, awarding the midfielder RM's second yellow of the evening. Minutes passed, Madrid working hard to press
Barcelona, but the home side continued to dominate possession.
At the
66', we saw Fabio Coentrão down after heading the ball out of play. The game continued on, with Barcelona taking
a corner as the Portuguese international was helped off the pitch. The Blaugranas made the first substitution of
the evening, pulling Xavi out in favor of Alexis Sánchez at the 69'. And it was at the 70' minute mark that Barça
got its equalizer by, of course, Alexis, who scored, mere seconds after coming on.
Real
Madrid responded three minutes later with a Cristiano goal. Mesut Özil wove through Barcelona's defense,
passing to the Portuguese all-star, who clipped a superb finish to the back of
net. ¡Muchas
gracias, señores! Cristiano's goal
saw the advantage back with los Blancos. The 90' minute mark seemed so far away for
Madridistas everywhere. Hold, we prayed,
hold.
Then of course, when time came around, there were four added minutes of
stoppage time. Longest four minutes
ever, but hold los Blancos did and
Mourinho earned his second Clásico victory in 11 attempts.
The men
face Bayern Munich next, this upcoming Wednesday, April 25th at the
Santiago Bernabéu for the return leg of the UCL semifinals. Until then, ¡HALA MADRID!
written by Gail Hidalgo
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