Immediate response: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid

Barcelona 2-1 real madrid (Araujo og). A huge loss for Madrid. Here is my reaction to the intense fight. Coming soon: Player ratings, press highlights, and another game podcast.

As winning matches has to come, there won’t be many matches bigger than this for Real Madrid. They’ve been on a roller coaster ride in the league season – initially leading the table comfortably, but now find themselves falling significantly behind rivals Barcelona. Defeat at the Nou Camp would leave Real Madrid 12 points behind their opponents. It had reached the point where this Clasico was meant to make or break any remaining title hopes. Real Madrid were without David Alaba due to injury, which meant Nacho Fernandez started in the left-back position. Fede Valverde continued to be deployed on the right side of midfield, with players such as Rodrigo Goes and Marco Asensio on the bench. Karim Benzema led the team in this big match.

It was a bright start for Real Madrid, who created the first chances of the match. Karim Benzema got the first shot into Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s shot who had to make a low save to deny the captain. Robert Lewandowski quickly responded by having Thibaut Courtois do some of the work himself. Sergi Roberto came close with a long-range shot, but Real Madrid would take the lead moments later. This came via an own goal, as Ronald Araujo unintentionally headed the ball over. Half chances became plentiful with no real goal-scoring chances for the better part of the first half, and it looked like Los Blancos would carry all the important lead into the first half, but Barcelona would make it through at the worst of times. They were pushing, and after attacking it was Sergi Roberto who would find himself in the right place at the right time to ensure both teams reached level for the break.

The intensity remained high despite the break, and both teams were trying hard to earn their season lead. Barcelona slightly took control of the match as Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong stretched Courtois to keep his balance. Despite their control of the match, it would be Real Madrid who would hit the net first – substitute Marco Asensio got a touch from Dani Carvajal to head the ball past the keeper. The goal was disallowed when it was revealed that Asensio had started in an offside position. The Spaniard would come close a short time later with a strike that sailed over the crossbar. These interactions will influence the course of the game with Real Madrid, who enjoyed the ball the most in Barcelona’s half – but at this point there were only minutes left to make a difference. Barcelona will finish the second half in the same way as the first – making those final moments count. Frank Casey will be the match, and more than likely the league’s leading scorer. 2-1 final score. ideas?

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