This is it.
Before their UCL campaign ending in disaster, Barca only had two more realistic shots at winning a trophy this season. Obviously the Champions League in which we alluded to earlier, but also the La Liga title as well.
With a win, Barca would lessen the 8 point gap between them and Madrid to just 5. Now some still would call that gap unrealistic in terms of Barca’s title chances, but football is chaotic and anything can happen.
Which is why a win today felt super important.
So, let’s see if Barca got that win or not
First half
For starters, Barca did in fact find a goal in the first half.
It was the 6th minute and there was an early corner. Ilkay Gundogan sent a looping ball towards the back post, where Andreas Christensen was waiting. Christensen then leapt high into the air and smashed a header home to give Barca an early 1-0 lead.
Madrid responded right back though, with Vinicus Jr. converting a penalty to draw the match level at 1.
The penalty felt a little dodgy, but that’s besides the point. What led to the penalty is the real story, as Joao Cancelo committed an egregious defenisve mistake while trying to defend Lucas Vazquez.
That wasn’t his only defensive mistake though.
Because as we head into the second half, Cancelo made another defensive mistake that costed Barca mightily.
Before we get to that though, we did see Frenkie De Jong leave the match on a stretcher due to another potential ankle injury. We don’t know how long he’s going to be out, so we’ll have to wait and see on that.
The other and more controversial topic, was the almost goal from Barca, but ultimately not allowed due to no conclusive evidence to show if the ball crossed the line or not.
The only person to blame here is Javier Tebas, who still hasn’t implemented goal line technology into the league, saying it’s “too expensive”. La Liga is the only top five league to not have the technology, which is still baffling to me.
If it’s too expensive for Tebas, maybe the house he lives in is too expensive, or maybe any other expensive purchase he’s made. Surely that’s too expensive right?
Just stupid.
Let’s just get to the second half.
Second half
The second half was a whirlwind.
Barca did get their second goal of the match courtesy of Fermin Lopez.
But the heroics were nullified due to two Madrid goals, one by Vazquez and one by Jude Bellingham.
Vazquez’s goal was a disgusting defensive display, as he failed to mark a single Madrid player. Instead, he marked the air and the particles surrounding him, leaving Vazquez with an easy goal scoring opportunity.
I usually say screenshots don’t tell the full context, but this one does. Well actually it doesn’t, because the screenshot doesn’t show Cancelo wandering around the penalty area looking like a lost dog in the cold and rain.
Simply a dsiasterclass for Cancelo defensively, matter fact a disasterclass defensively this week for Cancelo.
The final goal by Bellingham was a result of his box awareness and Barca failing to mark his run into Barca’s penalty area. Or in other words, a problem Barca’s back line has had problems with throughout the year, biting them on the butt one last time.
Ironic isn’t it?
Final word
I honestly don’t have a lot of words.
The season is unofficially, but officially over. Barca is going to go trophyless for the 3rd time in 5 seasons. A mark the club hasn’t come close to hitting in over 20 years.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be next Monday when they take on Valencia at the Montjuic.
See you all then!
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
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