The question actually revolved around the substitutions he had made. And Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, had proven to be extremely informative in this regard and, just for example, defended the late timing of the change. But then Ancelotti suddenly seemed to realize that he had just left an imaginary ball on an equally imaginary penalty spot – and, like a Brazilian penalty taker, decided to take one paradinha to insert An art break.
One, two, three, four, five, six, almost seven seconds passed with no sound in the Camp Nou press room or on the radios. Ancelotti held his breath, and so did everyone else. If a pin had fallen in Barça’s stadium, it could have been heard in Alaska. Then the silence broke and Ancelotti converted a penalty, which did not change anything at the end of the Clásico (Barça won, only marginally, 2-1), but gained the sovereignty of the discourse: “We lost because of an offside decision that Doubts arise. And with these doubts we go to Madrid, “murmured Ancelotti.
There was something logical and amusing about it. Looking at Ancelotti’s biography was amusing. A few years ago, when he was Bayern Munich coach, he was so quiet in the press room after a spectacularly controversial Champions League exit at Real Madrid that you could have thought he was attending a funeral service with pantomimes (the then Bayern President Karl-Heinz Rummenigge raged: “We’ve been cheated on”). And it was logical because the comment fit into the complex overall context of the duel between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The fear was this: that it would ultimately be about the referee, because the debates in Spain have been about the Barça referee affair for weeks. The Catalans have paid a good seven million euros to the former number 2 in Spanish refereeing, the matter is occupying the country’s Attorney General’s Office and has poisoned relations between the Presidents of Barça and Real Madrid: Madrid President Florentino Pérez stayed away from the game for the first time since 20 years, supposedly not to heat up the mood any further.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola came and sat down for the first time ever in the VIP stand instead of using his season ticket. An act of solidarity with Barça President Joan Laporta, that much became clear.
Marc-André ter Stegen conceded a home goal from the game after almost a year
What Guardiola and 95,000 – in the end enthusiastic – spectators saw: FC Barcelona was stronger on Sunday evening, the victory from a football perspective was anything but absurd. An own goal by Barça defender Ronald Araújo (9th minute) gave the Madrilenians the lead. It was the first goal from open play that DFB goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has conceded at the Camp Nou since May 22, 2002.
Just before the break, Sergi Roberto equalized (45′); Marco Asensio scored in the 80th minute and was disallowed for offside. The offside was indeed “by a hair’s length of a gamba,” according to the newspaper ace titled. But: The video referee considered it clear based on the pictures, so that in the end it was still possible for the home side to make it 2-1, thanks to Barcelona’s Franck Kessié in added time. It crowned a final phase in which Real Madrid – who started with the oldest starting eleven in Clásico history (29.168 years) – looked exhausted.
Barça coach Xavi Hernández was surprised and happy afterwards. Surprised by Ancelotti, because offside is offside, “a question of science” with no room for interpretation. And happy because after 26 of 38 match days, FC Barcelona is twelve points ahead of second Real Madrid in the table – and can feel like champions. Nobody has ever given up such a head start. “This is a day to be enjoyed,” said Xavi. The outstanding Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois congratulated: “Yes, you have to be honest…” he replied when asked if Real Madrid had said “adiós” to the championship.