League leaders, FC Barcelona defeat arch rivals Real Madrid in an edge of a seat thriller to go 12 points clear in Laliga.
Table of contents
El Clasico Match Preview with Predicted Lineup and Squad List
First Half
The Camp nou was filled with more than 90,000 fans and the entire stadium was buzzing as the players entered the pitch, The Catalans entered the match with the intention of going 12 points clear away from Real Madrid.
Credits: https://twitter.com/SelvedinFCB/status/1637524658521030658/photo/1
The game started with intensity right from the get go as both the teams attacked eachother’s goals since the beginning. Marc Ter Stegen and Thibaut Courtois kept their teams in the game by making early saves as the game went on. However in the 9th minute Vinicius Jr forced an own goal out of Araujo which gave Real Madrid the upperhand against the run of play.
Since the opening goal both teams got plenty of chances to score more but without any success the game moved towards the half time. In the 45th minute Sergi Roberto managed to score the equaliser after he received the ball inside the box which he calmly slotted away into the madrid net to level things up on the brink of halftime.
Kroos and Modric have combined 7 goal contributions in El Clasico history. Sergi Roberto has 7.
The ref blew the whistle for the half time and this el clasico headed towards the second half with all the possibilities still open.
Second Half
The second half possessed the same intensity as both teams played in search of the second goal.
The likes of Sergi Roberto, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha all had chances to score but they failed as the game entered into its final stage. In the 82nd minute Marco Asensio managed to score a goal to put Real Madrid ahead but the celebrations were cut short immediately as VAR calls off the goal due to offside.
The game entered its last stretch as 7 minutes were added as injury time, FC Barcelona switched to a higher gear as the players searched for the winning goal, In the 92nd minute the Catalans found the decisive goal as Frank Kessie slotted home the pass sent by Alejandro Balde. Robert Lewandowski was massively involved in creating the goal as the Polishman bamboozled the Madrid defense with his backheel pass to Balde.
Frank Kessie saluting his grand father in an El Classico
The refree blew the final whistle soon after and FC Barcelona managed to grab all the three points which extended their lead at the top to 12 points.
Our Thoughts
This is the 100th clasico win for FC Barcelona and it was such an important game in the title race. With this win Xavi now has 4 wins (5 including friendlies) in El Clasicos against Carlo Ancelotti.
Raphinha once again created problems for Real Madrid in this game, although the Brazilian was unable to enter the scoresheet, he’s becoming more and more decisive for FC Barcelona since Ousmane Dembele is out with an injury.
Midfield maestro Frenkie De Jong dropped a masterclass yet again with Kessie, Gavi and Sergio Busquets who nullified Real Madrid’s midfield threat which gave FC Barcelona the upper hand.
Andreas Christensen once again played a perfect game along side Kounde,Araujo and Balde. Unfortunately Ronald Araujo conceded an own goal but the Uruguayan central defender once again defended Vinicius jr successfully apart from that one own goal. Alejandro Balde now has 6 assists this season and no one has provided more assists among under 21 players than him.
Is Barcelona defence finally stable in 2022/23? (Part 1)
FC Barcelona have well and truly set their sights on that prestigious Laliga trophy with an impressive 12 point lead over 2nd placed Real Madrid. After a disappointing European campaign, The Catalans could not afford to slip up in Laliga as well.
Who was your Player of the Match?
