Barça assaults the Bernabéu with just enough
Xavi’s team takes the lead (0-1) ahead of the Cup final with Real Madrid’s first defeat in almost a year at home
MADRID, 2 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona beat Real Madrid (0-1) this Thursday in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals held at the Santiago Bernabéu, thanks to an own goal by Militao in the first half, a culé survival exercise that It was worth it to take advantage in search of the final and alleviate the near crisis.
After the European elimination, losing in Almería and with the significant casualties of Lewandowski, Pedri and Dembélé, Xavi’s team entrusted themselves to knowing how to suffer this season, to ‘unocerismo’, to take advantage of the return within a month at the Camp Nou. Madrid, with better feelings in recent weeks than its eternal rival, lacked a fang in search of revenge for the Super Cup and, despite besieging at times, did not have a hit until it ended up conceding its first home defeat of the season.
For better or worse, context matters little in a Classic, even the script it appears to have. Barça wasted the first half playing in their own half and Madrid had possession and offensive intent, but the Barça team went ahead at half-time with a Militao own goal in the 26th minute.
Xavi was wary of populating the attack and resorted to his scheme of four midfielders, but between the touched confidence and the handbrake that you always have in a first leg, Barça was a spectator from the start. Madrid lacked some bite to take advantage of the situation and did not create excessive danger despite commanding.
Modric slipped well between the lines and Vinicius had his pique with Araujo but without getting anything out of it. Benzema managed to see the goal but it was offside and it took Barça 20 minutes to have a possession play in the rival field. Ter Stegen played Pedri, with passes breaking lines and, without Lewandowski’s lighthouse or Dembélé’s depth, Xavi’s team found themselves in a tangle.
Then, a struggle between De Jong and Vinicius resulted in a yellow card for the Brazilian, with the corresponding anger from the entire white parish. Also the chants from the stands recalling the arbitration scandal that points to Barcelona, but in those, Barça found Camavinga’s gift. A pass to Ferran Torres, extension to Kessie, Courtois save and rebound in Militao.
The VAR reviewed the assistant’s raised flag for offside and validated the goal (0-1). A jackpot and a lot of confidence for a Barça that seemed to improve in its game, more precise, with a counter that Gavi missed for the second on 38′. Madrid reacted as best they could, with a chance by Carvajal that he sent to the clouds, but came back better from the locker room.
Xavi’s team not only withdrew but did not press well, they ran after the ball without the recovery that they usually put into practice and Ancelotti’s team played again at will. Vinicius had it but Araujo went to providential ground and the white team locked up their rival in 20 meters. Barça accepted their role, without those three reference players, and played with fire.
However, Madrid did not have the lucidity to generate real danger. The local coach brought in Rodrygo, his favorite revulsive and who tested at the end from afar, and Xavi responded with Ansu Fati, but the Spanish international once again went unnoticed. Worse even, since the ’10’ Barça made it 0-2 to Kessie. The Catalan team saved the siege and knew how to handle an outcome without scares and without even noise at the Bernabéu.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: REAL MADRID, 0 – FC BARCELONA, 1. (0-1, at halftime).
–LINE-UPS.
REAL MADRID: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Nacho; Kroos (Tchouameni, 74th minute), Camavinga (Rodrygo, 67th minute), Modric (Alvaro Rodriguez, 84th minute); Valverde, Benzema and Vinicius.
FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Kound, Thunder, Christensen, Bucket; Gavi, Busquets, De Jong, Kessie (Sergi Roberto, min.86); Raphinha (Ansu Fati, min.69) and Ferran Torres.
–GOL:
0 – 1, min.26, Militao.
–REFEREE: Munuera Montero (C.Andaluz). He admonished Vinicius (min.24), Nacho (min.55) and Valverde (min.73) by Real Madrid. And to Raphinha (min.45), Gavi (min.51) and Kessie (min.66) at Barça.
–Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.