Real Madrid successfully bounced back following a nasty defeat in the UEFA Champions League, beating their biggest rival, Barcelona, in today’s El Clasico, 1-3.
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The Los Blancos were better than the hosts, especially when it comes to tactical approach. Zinedine Zidane’s unit managed to use all the chances for scoring, while on the other side, Blaugrana missed a couple of solid opportunities, not utilizing the pressure they had throughout most of the match.
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This episode of El Clasico started furiously with two scores in the opening 11 minutes. Real delivered the initial goal after just 5 minutes, when Karim Benzema used Gerard Pique’s bad positioning, with the French veteran assisting Valverde, who would routinely place the ball into Barca’s net.
The response from the other side came in a matter of minutes. Messi found Alba, who then sent a sharp cross into the box, putting Ansu Fati in a perfect position to score. The youngster used that gift, leveling the result and bringing back the hosts into the match.
Messi’s magic wasn’t enough for Blaugrana to turn the result upside down. The Argentinian gave his best to threaten Real’s goal, but he couldn’t beat very good Courtois. Messi was pulling Barcelona forward, while on the other side, Benzema waited for his turn to strike, but had just one shot until halftime.
Coutinho missed a header in the 55th minute, on Fati’s cross, which could have changed the course of the entire match. Just seven minutes later, Real got the penalty, and the punishment arrived.
Sergio Ramos was pulled down in the box, and the referee had to check the VAR system. Following that, he pointed towards the penalty spot, with Ramos calmly executing the chance to give his team a lead.
Barca pressured the rivals, trying to equalize as soon as possible, but there was no change of result. Real’s defense rose to the occasion, with Ramos and Casemiro constantly making big plays, and preventing the hosts from scoring.
Luka Modric put an end to this event, with a goal in the last moments of the event, as he concluded one counter-attack. After losing this midweek to Shakhtar in the UEFA Champions League, this is a perfect bounce back for Real. They are now at the top of the league once again.
Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman and Barcelona are 10th in the standings, with two defeats in a row in La Liga.
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