MADRID, 4 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona, with a double from Pau Víctor, took victory this morning against Real Madrid (1-2) in the traditional Summer Classic, a friendly duel held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (United States) and marked by a stoppage of more than 75 minutes due to the risk of thunderstorms.
For the fourth consecutive season, the Blaugranas beat their eternal rival in their summer Clásico, this time decided by a double from the Catalan striker, lethal in the final moments of the first half and in the beginning of the second. Before that, in the 12th minute, the referee stopped the match due to the weather conditions and the players went to the changing rooms for more than an hour.
Pau Víctor had already given a warning with a header that Thibaut Courtois saved off the line. After the break, in the 24th minute, Arda Güler managed to find the net after a good one-on-one with Marc-André Ter Stegen, but the referee ruled out the goal for offside. The German goalkeeper then excelled with a save from Brahim’s shot.
Before the break, Hansi Flick’s men took the lead thanks to a header from Pau Victor, who made the most of an assist from Poland’s Robert Lewandowski after a good cross from full-back Alex Valle (min. 42). After the break, the man from Sant Cugat del Vallès took a dangerous shot from the edge of the box that forced Courtois to act, but he was helpless when the Barça player headed another brilliant cross from Alex Valle off the line in the 54th minute.
In a match in which Barça’s Ilkay Gündogan and Real Madrid’s Vinícius and Éder Militao had their first minutes of pre-season, Nico Paz managed to beat Iñaki Peña, who had just replaced Ter Stegen, in the 82nd minute with a powerful header from a corner taken by Güler. Carlo Ancelotti’s men sought the equaliser from a free kick in added time that Courtois even went up to finish off, but the summer Clásico once again went to Barcelona.