Barcelona suffered their fifth loss of the league season in the final El Clásico of the 2020/21 domestic season.
It was end-to-end action at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium, with the hosts putting up a fantastic first-half performance, followed by a tight second from Barça.
Everything a Clásico fan could want was present in this game. There was discussion, zeal, goals, and for the first time in a few years, a red card was the frosting on the cake.
Real Madrid's excellence is on show.
Real Madrid displayed their offensive and defensive effectiveness with four shots on goal, 1.58 Expected Goals, and two goals. For the first half, Zinédine Zidane's players were still in the right place, at the right time, making all the correct movements, and to devastating effect.
Los Blancos' strategy is to win at any cost, regardless of how they win. In contrast to the Catalans, who not only need to win but also do so in a specific style, Los Merengues are more than capable of forsaking their usual productive approach to games in favor of a more reactive one.
Winning matches is one of the simplest duties they have since they are not constrained by any philosophy.
They only had the ball for 32% of the game, which is completely contrary to what most people would assume. Possession, on the other hand, is far less essential than what one does with it. With each delay, Garnet and Blue's concentration deteriorates.
Madrid had a sufficient number of guys forward and in the proper position to strike them in the stomach.
Despite the low xG, they had enough significant adjustments to lead 4-0 at the half. When it came to defense, their tight-knit defense barely broke a sweat in comparison to their opponents.
They formed an impenetrable low block and utilized a combined press to force as many errors as possible.
Furthermore, Zidane has the luxury of having a starting eleven full of devastatingly flexible footballers. Fede Valverde, for example, has played right defender, a center midfielder, and a winger. In every position he played, he was perfect.
And so did his teammates, ensuring that Madrid walked away with all three points and the bragging rights.
A fantastic shift in thinking Few, if any, could have imagined Barcelona would stage a comeback after such a horrific first-half performance.
That might have happened with any other club, but given Real Madrid's first-half dominance, it was almost unavoidable.
The Catalans did not earn a single point at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, but the sheer determination they showed in the second half was impressive. Ronald Koeman made the necessary adjustments to the team, reverting to a 4-3-3 system that wreaked havoc on Real Madrid's defense.
If Barça appeared to be stuck in a never-ending cycle of useless possession in the first half, they made full most of it in the second. The Blaugrana created eleven chances in the second half while allowing Los Blancos only one attempt on goal; a complete 180 from their success in the opening 45 minutes.
It was a nail-biter until the final second of the game when Ilaix Moriba's volleyed shot hit the underside of the crossbar. Given both clubs' total success, a draw would have been a far more equitable result, but even in loss, this version of Barcelona is a force to be reckoned with.
The players and supporters are well aware that they must retain their cool.
It's a game with razor-thin margins. This was no exception to the rule that games of this type, like El Clásico, would always be settled by the smallest of statistics.
The first important influence was the goal's frame. Fede Valverde, who had been enjoying another excellent game against Barcelona up until that point, struck the post with a shot that critically rebounded beneath Sergio Busquets in the first half, after the hundredth Real Madrid counter-attack.
In the second half, Ronald Araujo nearly scored their own goal, but the ball slid gently off the post and out for a corner with Ter Stegen rooted to the spot. In the final minute of the match, with Madrid fighting for their lives, Ilaix Moriba hit the underside of the crossbar to put an emotional finish to this incredible tie.
On the offensive side of the ball, Jordi Alba has been criticized for being both a godsend and a burden. In the build-up to the hosts' opening, he had only one task: mark the opposition fullback. He absolutely misplaced this one since he went too deep inside, and by the time he discovered his error, it was too late.
Lucas Vázquez has previously targeted Karim Benzema. It's simply too late. The final crucial element was in Los Blancos' game-winning goal.
Toni Kroos couldn't believe his eyes when he witnessed the state of Barça's wall following what many think was a poorly given free kick by the referee.
Marc André Ter Stegen's poor leadership of his defense exposed him fully, and his German rival spared him no shame, putting the ball home to give his team the victory.
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