Real Madrid faced Barcelona in a ‘decaffeinated’ Clásico…
In front of a crowd of 98,000 people, Barcelona proved themselves to be deserved champions of La Liga by extending their undefeated streak. The game between the two sides kicked off with the commentators commending both teams for their performance and appreciating their sportsman spirit. Ronaldo seemed very confident with the ball from the outset, striking two shots on goal in the first few minutes.
Ter Stegen was arguably the coolest person on Earth as he didn’t even flinch when Ronaldo sent a third shot his way. It was almost as if he had foreseen that the ball would miss, even though it was merely inches wide. Jordi Alba and Modric were involved in a heated argument early on, but the referee broke it before it turned ugly. A goal by Suarez in the 10th minute put Barcelona in the driving seat. Sergi Roberto ended a flowing move by sending a pinpoint cross to the feet of the Uruguayan, who converted with a brilliant first-time finish. Madrid’s defence were found lacking as Ramos and Nacho had diverted all their attention towards Messi.
Ronaldo equalised shortly after as Benzema’s header across goal found him in space, picking up a knock in the process. Los Blancos found space on the counter and played through their opposition’s defence with pinpoint accuracy. The away side continued to threaten, with Ronaldo managing to get his head on the ball on multiple occasions – rising high above Umtiti and Alba to do so. The game’s second heated scuffle saw Suarez and Ramos end up with yellow card. Minutes later, a retaliatory tackle on Ramos saw Messi end up in the referee’s book as well. The game began to spiral out of control, and the first red card of the game came far sooner than expected. Sergi Roberto slapped Marcelo after the Brazilian bumped into him from behind, and was given his marching orders just seconds before the whistle. The commentators had been left red-face as the early mentions of sportsman spirit were in vain.
Lionel Messi (551) and Cristiano Ronaldo (449) have now scored 1,000 goals between them for Barcelona and Real Madrid.
We are not worthy. pic.twitter.com/aLpo1jMMXz
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 6, 2018
Zidane didn’t want to take any chances with Ronaldo before the Champions League final, and the Portuguese legend was replaced my Marco Asensio at half-time. Messi broke the deadlock shortly after the restart, somehow squeezing the ball past Navas after a controversial counter-attack. There was seemingly a clear foul on Varane in the build-up, but the referee refused to call it. The game’s intensity heightened after the goal and chances were flowing in an end-to-end encounter. Iniesta, who had barely recovered in time for the game, was taken off in the 58th minute to a rapturous ovation by the Camp Nou. Even through the television, the moment was emotional enough to leave you with goosebumps.
Both goalkeepers produced remarkable saves to keep the scoreline level. Navas reinforced his world-class reputation, denying Messi on several occasions to keep his side in the game. The Costa Rican’s saves proved vital as Gareth Bale left his mark on the game in the 72nd minute by striking a curling strike in the corner of Ter Stegen’s goal. It was the Welshman’s 13th goal in La Liga this season, and his first in a Clásico since 2014. Barça began to tire, and despite a number of penetrating runs by the likes of Rakitic and Paulinho, Real Madrid’s man-advantage was enough to deter them in time.
A stonewall penalty on Marcelo wasn’t awarded, much to everyone’s disbelief, and Barcelona stayed in touching distance of maintaining their undefeated streak. Messi tried his best to decide the game in the closing stages, but Navas’ heroics continued as he denied the Argentinian time and time again. On the other end, Gerard Pique pulled of an acrobatic clearance to divert Benzema’s header away from goal. Neither side could muster up a winner despite pushing forward till the final whistle. It was an exceptional second-half between the two sides – who were found embracing each other after the game. The adrenaline had faded, and after a barrage of controversies, it was refreshing to see that sanity had found its way back to them after all.