Real loses at the Bernabeu by 2:3 in what is seen as the best El Clásico in the past five years. Leo Messi made sure Barcelona would win, with a last minute goal. As both teams held strong offensive grounds, fans got their money’s worth.
As always in a Clasico, there are disputable decisions, such as the expulsion of Sergio Ramos (77′), or the constant fouls against Messi. Nevertheless, tonight’s ref, Hernandez Hernandez did a generally decent job.
Madrid scored first through Casemiro (27′), while Barcelona got to 1:1 thanks to Leo Messi, 5 minutes later.
As we glided into the halftime space, the importance of this match kept looming. Real Madrid had a 3+ in the League, with one match less played than Barcelona. This meant that the guests had to get in a win in order to stay in the championship race.
The two rivals on and off court, Zidane and Enrique got their teams ready for an even more intense second half. What ensued was 50 minutes of proper football that one doesn’t wanna miss a single second of. Strong offence was seen on both sides, as both Madrid and Barca knew what was at stake.
The lack of an actual goal was interrupted by Ivan Rakitić (72′) who scored a true golazo. And after spending some 5 minutes on court, James Rodriguez gave us a draw with a reaction that resembled pinball.
In the following minutes, the intensity levels have lowered, as both sides were trying to figure out their best options. During this time we saw a Madrid tiki-taka, Barca’s bus and a number of strange decisions by the assistant referee.
The man who decided it all was once again Leo Messi. Scoring in a similar way as Rodriguez, even in the same side of the opponent’s goal, Messi got the 2:3 at the end of the 91. minute. Earning himself a yellow for taking off his jersey, he celebrated the victory with his teammates and the ecstatic Enrique.
? #Messi500#ElClásico #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/0kCqC6zt4f
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 23, 2017
Barcelona is now first in La Liga standings, marking a very narrow closure of the season. All is definitely not over, so both players and fans will be left on the edge of their seats till the very end.