We did not think in our lifetime to see FC Barcelona combine four shots and 35% possession of the ball to win a Clasico. It is however an ultra-minimalist Barça, totally against the grain of its history, which won the semi-final first leg of the King’s Cup, Thursday evening at Santiago Bernabeu (0-1). Better in the game, Real Madrid at the same time managed the performance of not fitting the slightest shot of the match, out of 13 attempts.
Suffice to say that on such a disastrous clash, clearly one of the worst Clasicos in history, the score could only be unlocked on a twist of fate, and in this case on a goal against his camp by Brazilian defender Eder Militao ( 0-1, 26th). “It was not the game we wanted. The plan was to play in the opposing camp, to win the duels, to dominate the meeting with the ball, ”admits Xavi, aware of having despite himself twisted an era of outrageous possession of the ball with this landmark match. .
Xavi goes after Dani Carvajal
As long as it was, this Clasico was mainly distinguished by bad gestures, with six yellow cards distributed in total, as for this coarse tackle by Vinicius on Frenkie de Jong (24th). Insults also flared up on the lawn, especially from Gavi, who, according to the Spanish media, slipped against Vinicius from the “Sons of p…”.
From his bench, Xavi got in tune with this charming atmosphere by insulting Dani Carvajal for his part, after a foul from the Madrid right side on Alejandro Balde. “You are a fool,” the Catalan coach told him. So, are you still keen to watch the April 5 half-return rather than a Nantes-OL?