This time, in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.
It’s too early to say that Real might develop some kind of complex from the meetings with Barcelona, but the current season is doing everything for that to happen sooner or later. After a 4:0 defeat in the Spanish Championship, something new happened. Moreover, before the match, everything seemed to indicate that this time Real would not repeat their mistakes. He entered this meeting with a streak of five consecutive victories, full of determination and self-confidence.
Barcelona, on the other hand, found themselves under pressure and criticism after a previous lackluster run in La Liga. Not to mention this commotion around Pau Victor and Dani Olmo, who at first were not allowed to register, then were allowed to do so. In general, the alignment worked in Real’s favor. But the Clasico is a confrontation in itself. These pre-match conversations therefore often turn out to be useless.
Advance from destiny
It must be said that the first part of the match was not at all rosy for Barcelona, despite the score with which it entered the break. After all, in just a few minutes, the Catalans missed three of their best scoring chances. Some were unlucky, but most often Thibaut Courtois demonstrated a brilliant reaction, activating “God mode” from the start. He parried Lamin Yamal’s delicate shot, then parried Raphinha’s header from almost point-blank range with a rebound off the turf.
The parade of missed chances was continued by the same Rafinha, who easily found space on the left in the penalty area, but did not have enough precision to shoot into the far corner. Moreover, before that, an exemplary counterattack from Kylian Mbappe allowed Real to take the advantage in the fifth minute. This, against a backdrop of missed opportunities, could have broken Barcelona. But it turned out that this only relaxed Real. If we can speak of relaxation in relation to such a confrontation and such a struggle for status.
Fix the problem
The previous match between these rivals was memorable as Barcelona scored four unanswered goals in the second half. This time she achieved the same standard for the second half of the first half, starting exactly in the middle. Real did not seem alarmed by the problems the Catalans revealed in their defense from the opening minutes. The Madrid team stubbornly repeated its mistakes. And Yamal, in his typical way, with a move from the right to the center, struck again – this time without any chance for Courtois. Lamin opened up Real’s defense too easily.
But just over ten minutes later, Barcelona won a penalty. Again, stupidity on defense. Eduardo Camavinga played carelessly against Gavi in his own penalty area, hitting him in the thigh. With the help of VAR, the referee determined the penalty and Robert Lewandowski converted it. Another three minutes passed and Rafinha punished Madrid for another unlearned lesson: he headed again without interference, but this time without saving Courtois. And as from the start of the match, the Brazilian was missed by Lucas Vazquez, who adopted a surprisingly passive position.
The fourth goal was largely helped by the huge injury time. It lasted more than ten minutes. And right at the end there was a counter-attack, in which Rafinha brought out Alejandro Balde to strike, and he shot into Courtois. They added plenty thanks to the forced replacement of the injured Inigo Martinez, as well as the assistance given to Mbappe, who found himself on the grass twice. However, Kilian was able to continue the game. But no trace of the initial activity remained. She only came back at the very end of the match, when it was too late.
Finishing and chances
During the break, Carlo Ancelotti replaced Camavinga, who had failed in several respects and received a yellow card, with Dani Ceballos. Real probably had a plan and could have started implementing it immediately, but Rodrigo, having passed Vinicius, shot beautifully onto the crossbar. The karma that hit Barcelona in the opening moments of the first half for missed chances has now come back to bite Real Madrid. Immediately, the Catalans scored the fifth. Rafinha, the main star of the fight, produced an exemplary counterattack. Already in the penalty area, he mockingly pushed aside Aurélien Tchouameni and fired again low at Courtois.
As if to sign a capitulation, Ancelotti then released Raul Asensio in defense in place of Vazquez. Apparently, so that the score does not become even more devastating. Because there was no point in correcting anything with such a gesture. Yes, Vasquez missed the game. Like Chuameni did, for example. But they began to fail to defend him from the first minutes of the match. So you should have reacted. And after missing five, it’s kind of too late.
However, the ghost of hope lit up in Real’s eyes when the Catalans missed a counterattack by the awakened Mbappé. On the verge of offside, he ran away one-on-one and Wojciech Szczesny, coming out of the box, tripped Kilian with his foot. The referee did not react at first because he thought the Frenchman was offside. But VAR was convinced that this was not the case, and the Barcelona goalkeeper deserved to be sent off for a last-ditch foul. Of course, it was not a penalty, but Madrid now converted this opportunity in exemplary fashion. Rodrigo’s direct free-kick forced Iñaki Pena to capitulate alone. But the three-goal gap remained too great to seriously consider Real’s return to the fight. Indeed, the game was crumpled, torn, too saturated with emotional clashes that spoiled the atmosphere and killed time. Madrid still gave away a few chances, but nothing more.
The outcome of the match was decided by Real’s defensive mistakes. It was too obvious, Madrid provided Barcelona with scoring chances too easily. They just had to use them, which the Catalans did not do without problems at the beginning. Perhaps Ancelotti should have made a different choice for the starting eleven, entrusting the starting position to Asensio rather than Vazquez. But we are all strong with hindsight. Real Madrid should clearly not flirt with the idea of placing Tchuameni in the central defender position. It can work for a long time, then it happens. Sometimes, a dozen victories won are blocked by such defeats.
Barcelona
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