Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: La Liga Giants Show Us How a 'Clasico' Is Played

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: La Liga Giants Show Us How a 'Clasico' Is Played

These adjectives are perfect
descriptions of one of the best clashes
between Barcelona andReal Madridin
recent history. While previous Clasicos
have been marred by cynical play from
both teams, tonight's match served to
remind everyone just why football
fans mark Clasicos on their calendar
when the season's fixture list is
announced.
Real Madrid came into the match
hoping to overturn a 2-1 deficit from
their home defeat in the first leg. Jose
Mourinho knew his team had to score
at least two goals to have any chance
of going through, and his team
selection reflected this attacking
mentality.
Mesut Ozil, Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano
Ronaldoand Kakaall started for Real
Madrid. Surprisingly, Karim Benzema
was relegated to the bench—a move
that raised eyebrows and proved to be
costly for Real Madrid, as we will see
shortly. Barcelona played the same
lineup that won 2-1 at the Santiago
Bernabeu.
Both teams were at each other's
throats from the outset. Higuain
almost got Real Madrid a ridiculously
early lead in the 11th second, but he
skewed Dani Alves' backpass wide
when one-on-one with Jose Pinto.
Higuain was the villain again just five
minutes later, when he failed to score
from a great cross from Kaka.
Real Madrid continued to trouble and
harry Barcelona. Indeed, they looked
like the home side themselves.
Barcelona were unable to put together
the strings of passes that they are
accustomed to doing, with Real Madrid
winning the midfield battles in a decisive
manner and feeding their attackers
with deliberation.
Mesut Ozil showed a moment of
individual brilliance in the 25th minute
when his 30-yard shot cannoned out
off the underside of the crossbar. Real
Madrid's performance till the 40th
minute left many wondering just why
they weren't in the lead.
Dani Alves' moment of magic
However, Lionel Messi took the match
by the scruff off its neck with a
beautiful run, which culminated in a
chipped pass over the inattentive Pepe.
Pedro came in completely unmarked
from the left, and Casillas did not even
see the point of attempting to save the
resulting shot.
For all of Real Madrid's dominance,
they went another goal down just a
few minutes later.
Dani Alves rushed in from the right of
the area and unleashed a fearsome one-
touch strike that flew into the angle of
the goal. Barcelona went into the half-
time break with a slightly undeserved
2-0 lead.
People could have been forgiven for
thinking it was all over at this point.
With Barcelona now holding a 4-1 lead
on aggregate, including two away
goals, it seemed unlikely that Real
Madrid would be able to threaten the
Catalans in the second half. They
needed to score three goals, after all,
which was patently impossible to do at
the Camp Nou.
They were almost proven grossly
wrong.
In a fashion not seen in the Clasicos
that preceded this one, Real Madrid
took the second half by the scruff of
its neck. Wave upon wave of white
shirts descended on the Barcelona area
from the first whistle of the second
period. The normally conservative
Mourinho took off Lassana Diarra, Kaka
and Higuain and replaced them with
Esteban Granero, Karim Benzema and
Jose Callejon to give his side extra
firepower up front.
The breakthrough for Real Madrid
seemed to have come in the 53rd
minute through Sergio Ramos' header
at the back post. However, referee
Fernando Teixera Vitienes disallowed
the goal for a foul on Dani Alves by
Ramos as he went to head the ball.
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DavidDavid RamosRamos//GettyGetty ImagesImages
Madrid's attacking football finally paid
off in the 68th minute, when the superb
Mesut Ozil threaded a pass through
Barcelona's defense, leaving Ronaldo
to round Pinto and score. At this stage,
the goal looked like a consolation, as
Barcelona still held a dominant 4-2
lead on aggregate. Real Madrid still
needed two goals.
Whatever comfort Barcelona fans
held from the two-goal cushion on
aggregate evaporated four minutes
later as Benzema left Puyol scrambling
before finishing coolly past Pinto. Real
Madrid now needed just one goal with
18 minutes left to play. The balance of
power had shifted into their hands, and
suddenly, Barcelona looked worried.
Real Madrid continued to attack
Barcelona's goal with the
relentlessness of a beast of prey who
has tasted his victim's blood.
Benzema almost sent Cule hearts into a
tizzy when he found himself one-on-
one with Pinto, but Puyol did just
enough to miscue the Frenchman and
prevent him from scoring from what
was a golden opportunity.
Just as it looked like Madrid would
continue to harry Barcelona till the
final whistle, Sergio Ramos was sent
off for elbowing Sergio Busquets.
Replays showed the decision to be
more than a little harsh, however, and
that decision took the fight out of Real
Madrid.
Unlike previous Clasicos, this match
saw Real Madrid play to their full
potential. Though Barcelona have
qualified on aggregate, they will be
wary of the sheer doggedness
displayed by their arch rivals tonight.
Madrid simply refused to give up at any
point in the match, constantly
attacking and going toe-to-toe against
a team they have normally shut up
shop against. For the first time in 12
months, Real Madrid actually managed
to outplay Barcelona over 90 minutes.
Most importantly, however, this
match deserved to be called "El
Clasico." Unlike so many of Barcelona
and Real Madrid's matches throughout
the past 12 months, this one
demonstrated the raw footballing skill
of both sides.
From Messi's run that set up Pedro's
goal to Benzema's flick which beat
Puyol, this match was a showcase of
some of the best moments football
has to offer.
Truly, a "Clasico."