It was a match from another world! Cosmic emotions in El Clasico
Long before the match began, we reported that Polish fans would most likely see only one of their two compatriots on the pitch. Wojciech Szczęsny was in coach Hansi Flick's plans. It was completely different in the case of Robert Lewandowski, but that was the consequence of an injury, after which Barca's best scorer in LaLiga is returning to full fitness.
Six blows in El Clasico! A great first half for FC BarcelonaAs it quickly turned out, however, RL9 was not needed for goals. Szczęsny, on the other hand, had a lot of work from the start, having to pick the ball out of the net twice in the first twenty minutes. Kylian Mbappe was the scorer on both occasions.
Let's add that the first time the Pole fouled the Frenchman in the penalty area. However, Szczęsny corrected the mistake that happened to his teammate from the defense. Pau Cubarsi has certainly had more confident interventions.
It's also hard to blame the Pole for the second goal for the Royals, who quickly silenced the LaLiga leader's stadium. Szczęsny found himself one-on-one with Mbappe, and he usually took advantage of such opportunities. And that's exactly what happened this time.
Barcelona responded with a quick goal by Eric Garcia, the defender making good use of the cross and heading the ball into the net, giving the hosts a chance to get the Catalan machine going.
Even before the break, the so-called remontada took place. First, the equalizer and the reliable Lamine Yamal. The Spaniard proved once again that calling him the successor to Lionel Messi in Barcelona is not at all unfounded. And he is still a teenager, which is worth remembering. Raphinha also added his. In the 34th minute, exactly 120 seconds after Yamal's goal, he gave Barcelona their first lead in this match.
But that wasn't the end. Raphinha added another goal to close the first, crazy 45 minutes. Interestingly, a moment earlier Mbappe almost had a chance to use another penalty. Ultimately, however, after a VAR review, it was ruled an earlier offside position.
After the first half, it seemed that the next goals for the hosts were only a matter of time. The Royals seemed to be stifled by the way the next minutes and the offensive attacks of the opponents looked. However, Barca's problem was that as beautiful as they were in the attack, they had such huge problems in the defense. This is a consequence of the so-called high defense, but also the potential in the attack of the opponent. However, it must be admitted that it was mainly Mbappe who did the magic on the guests' side. Vinicius Jr. did not have a good performance that day. What's more, the Brazilian went off with an injury at the end.
The Royals managed to get within one goal of their rivals. Mbappe scored again, and Real eventually won the second half of the match by a modest score of 1-0.
Overall, however, it did nothing for the Royals, who, having lost to Barcelona, are now seven points behind the LaLiga leaders. With three rounds to go, this is a distance that is almost impossible to make up. It seems that with this match and the victory in El Clasico, Barcelona have almost secured the championship title.
It is also worth appreciating Szczęsny's intervention at the end of the match, when he defended a shot from - of course - Kylian Mbappe. The Pole waited until the end for the Frenchman, well parrying the shot, which could have given Real a 4-4 draw and hope for another important step.
There were also a few refereeing controversies. Referee Hernandez Hernandez had to look at what he saw on the monitor several times, assisted by VAR referees. Additionally, it can also be admitted that not all decisions were met with... general acceptance.
Barcelona ultimately won 4-3, which brought their fans into ecstasy. Fans of the Royals can almost definitely write off the 2024/25 season on the start side.
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