They tried to play down the importance of
beating their rivalries in this time of the season, but everyone knows the
determination for victory is in their blood. A 1-0 or 2-1 win to Madrid could
leave Victor Valdes regret for his carelessness in 1st leg, but Barcelona has
not lost in their last seven visits to Bernabeu. Madrid's recent struggle in
the league could not bolster the fans' confidence either.
The lineup, however, was encouraging for
Real Madrid. Coentrao's suspension meant Marcelo was back in the starting
lineup after returning from Olympics tournament. Pepe, another well-known El
Clasico participant, were also back from injury and did not spend long to make
his presence known. His hard challenge on Lionel Messi and fierce shouting
towards the penalty-seeking Alexis Sanchez were nothing unfamiliar, but his
unintentional assist to Higuain brought a much needed lead to the home team.
Daniel Alves was surprisingly pulled out of
the starting XI. His substitute Jordi Alba did not weaken the team by miles,
but the gap in El Clasico experience of the two teams was widened. Jordi Alba
did not look too nervous, but his presence seemed to have unsettled Javier Mascherano.
The Argentine often positioned himself some distance away from his partner
Pique, which the void was exposed twice by Higuain, only to be left unpunished
by the striker's poor finishing. The nightmare went on when his intended hook
clearance could not get a touch to the ball and left Higuain wide open to score
the first goal.
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| Higuain puts Madrid in front with a calm finish |
There were not many choices for Jose
Mourinho, even with the purchase of Modric. Nevertheless, this is unarguably
the most effective Real Madrid lineup, with Ozil orchestrating in the centre of
midfield, supported by speedy Cristiano Ronaldo and Di Maria. They struggled
against a very crowded but organised Getafe defence, but Barcelona allowed them
to utilise their strength in counter-attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo punished the complacent high line defence,
dispossessing Pique's soft clearance with a clever back heel and defeated
Victor Valdes with a powerful right foot shot. All of a sudden, Real Madrid
found themselves in the driving seat, thanks to mistakes from the Catalans centrebacks.
Referee Mr Mateu accepted one of the
hardest jobs in the world. Having to gesture to the players "who's the
boss" only 10 minutes into the game, Mateu handed out a wrong yellow card
to the innocent-for-once Pepe, but the dismissal of Adriano for a cynical foul
28 minutes in the first half was an easy decision. It was once again brought by
a Ronaldo's counter attack.
Montoya was forced to be brought on for the
disappointing Alexis, who struggled to cement his feet to the ground on even
the softest challenge. Right back had suddenly became the weakest link of
Barca's defence, evident by Ronaldo's easy turn against the young right back,
but Pique and Mascherano seemed to have both regained concentration. Two crucial tackles had
prevented Higuain and Ronaldo to conclude the game in first half.
Typically, being one man down and trailing by two goals means game over. Barcelona
players, though, still looked rather composed, however rattled deep down they
were. On the other hand, Real Madrid remained cautious, being well-aware of
their opponents' ability. In fact, it was the 10-men Barca who stayed dominant
in possession, a very atypical phenomenon in such circumstances.
Keeping possession could be the best means of defence.
Barcelona attempted to echo Swansea's
theory with ten outfield players. Jordi Alba ruled the left flank while Pedro,
having switched from left to right following Alexis' exit., kept Marcelo
busy. Los Bloncos looked happy to sit
back with the lead, but their persistent fouling was finally penalised. Messi
restored Catalan's hope with a magnificent 30 yards freekick that went in between Casillas'
glove and the post just before the half time whistle. Real Madrid was only leading by an away goal at that time.
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| Casillas could not keep Messi's exquisite 30-yard freekick out |
Messi's goal killed Real Madrid's momentum
slightly. Tactician Mourinho decided to pound on the man advantage by ordering
Marcelo to push forward in second half, but the extra room at the back almost
brought Barcelona the lead. The diagonal pass was the ultimate weapon that slid
through Madrid's defence. Pedro missed a golden opportunity, while both
fullbacks were also freed in similar fashion, with Montoya's chance coming in
the final minute. Nevertheless, Casillas did not concede any of those and
single-handedly rescued Madrid.
Victor Valdes did not let Casillas steal
the show either. Khedira and Ronaldo had once come close but were stopped by the
eccentric goalkeeper. Mascherano and the post also collectively saved Barca
from another effort by Higuain. Luka Modric could have netted a debut goal on the El Clasico
stage in Bernabeu, but his first time shot from
Benzema's cutback was blocked by Mascherano.
El Clasico could not end without mentioning
Messi. Alex Song, another debutant from the Premier League, calmly
set up the playmaker at the edge of the box, but only saw the final chance of
the match being sent wide of the post amid sliding blocks from Pepe and Sergio Ramos.
Another entertaining El Clasico ended in dramatic fashion, seeing Real Madrid
conquer the uphill battle and deservedly won the 2nd leg.
Los Bloncos' fans would hardly criticise
their team’s performance with their
first victory of the season, so as Mourinho, as his players responded to his
pre-match comments in a positive manner, but their defence still looked rather
vulnerable. Their inability to keep hold of possession, at least against
Barcelona, is worrying. Luka Modric could potentially be a solution to the
problem, but Ozil's dipping form is unpromising either. There were little
threats to defence from dead balls, an area
they have worked hard on, but the defence still looked disorganised by the standard of Jose
Mourinho.
Barca showed they are still invincible in
attack. The Catalans didn't fail to
threaten Real Madrid with ten players. Complacency, though, cost them three
goals in two matches and is something Vilanova has to address. Also, has
Vilanova got a plan B in his pocket? Heading to Bernabeu with a lead in hand, there were
no reasons they had to risk an aggressive approach in defence, particularly
playing against a very mobile Real Madrid. Sitting deeper at least for the
first fifteen minutes of the game would have already unsettled the opponents.
Besides, with Pedro back at his best and Alexis looking a bit
disillusioned, Fabregas may be a better option in big matches ahead of Alexis
to offer better composure and decision-making in the final third.
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| Back in form, and back in the lineup |
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