There was a different feeling in the air for El Clasico this time around.
Yes, these two gargantuan clubs face off twice a season every season, but this time simply felt…different.
Real Madrid is coming off a summer of stars, bringing in Kylian Mbappe to join Madrid’s already potent attack. Barca on the other hand has played some of the most exciting football in the world this year, with Hansi Flick standing as the one controlling the strings of Barca’s early season dominance.
All this combined for a potential banger of a match at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the entire footballing world watching with keen eyes.
Let’s see how Barca fared.
First half
The first half could’ve been described by two things.
Offsides and missed chances.
Real Madrid has plenty of chances to blow this match open in the first half. Barca came out with their high line — expectedly so — and Madrid had all the tools in the world to exploit it.
They managed to do so more than a few times in the first half, as the pace of Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe attempted to punish Barca for playing with such a risky back line.
In the end though, they missed chance after chance, preventing the Bernabeu from exploding. But the missed chances weren’t the only downside, it was the continuous offsides charges applied to mostly Mbappe.
Mbappe was caught offside 6 times in the first half, tying the record for the most offsides by one La Liga player…in the past decade.
Truly astonishing stuff.
The French star also had a hand in the missed chances, failing to get past the hulking appearance of Iñaki Peña.
Barca on the other hand looked sturdy, yet vulnerable at the same time. Plenty of those instances of offsides were very close calls, so close in fact that if Madrid’s attackers backed off a few inches, they would’ve been clean instances of play.
Nevertheless, Barca stayed true to their way of play and walked into halftime drawing with Madrid 0-0.
Barca needed much more in the second half if they wanted to walk away with a big time win. Luckily they did, courtesy of Barca’s firepower up front.
Second half
The second half was a complete doozy.
Whatever Flick said during halftime must’ve been essential, because Barca were more attentive going forward and appeared to be more of a threat in the second half.
The action started with Robert Lewandowski, who after receiving beautiful cut pass from Marc Casado, found himself all alone barreling towards Andriy Lunin’s net.
Lewandowski waited a bit, before firing a great shot past Lunin into the back of the net.
1-0.
At first it looked offsides, but further replays showed Ferland Mendy somehow keeping Lewandowski onside.
Maddening positioning by Mendy and it cost him, giving Barca a 1-0 lead after looking pretty vulnerable in the first half.
Lewandowski’s goal scoring didn’t stop there either, because just a few minutes later, he scored his second. Alejandro Balde delivered the cross, leaving Lewandowski with a heading opportunity, one in which he did not waste.
2-0 Barca, it just felt unbelievable within the moment.
Barca were flying and the Bernabeu was stunned. But it was too early to celebrate, because Madrid has a tendency of blindsiding teams when they appear down and out.
However, those concerns were put to rest later on when Lamine Yamal scored to make it 3-0. It was a simple right footed shot from Yamal, something we haven’t seen him execute with much success so far. But somehow it flew past Lunin, making him the youngest ever goal scorer in the history of El Clasico.
What a moment for Yamal, who didn’t have the best of chances to express himself earlier due to Camavinga’s roaming presence on the right flank.
But as the score line says, the scoring didn’t stop there, oh no it did not.
Raphinha made it 4 late in the match, as he lofted a chip over the outstretched arms of Lunin and too far for the late arriving Lucas Vazquez.
The Bernabeu was now a deafening pit of despair, at least compared to when the match first began. Barca had stomped the noise out, Barca had stomped the supporters out, and more importantly they had stomped their opposition out.
If this isn’t what domination looks like, then I don’t want to see any other definition, because this is the highest form of it.
Barca rode to the full time whistle, winning 4-0 and giving them another big win this week.
What a time to be a Barca fan.
Final word
We said this week would be a gargantuan week of fixtures.
The only question was how Barca would respond to such a daunting set of matches, both physically and mentally. This squad has looked superior to last season’s in terms of physicality, but the mental challenge this week presented was the true big test.
In the past, previous Barca teams would’ve shrunk within the moment, failing to live up to the challenge these big matches presented.
But this one is different, this squad is adeptly prepared for these matches, with this week proving that all by itself.
What a win, what a week, what a time it is to be Barca supporter.
Now it’s all about sustaining it and keeping fitness, because this style of play over a full season is bound to drain these players both mentally and physically.
But for now, let’s enjoy the win and enjoy the positive feelings surrounding the club right now.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be next weekend, as they taker on city side rivals Espanyol.
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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