The Santiago Bernabéu witnessed another epic clash between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona on April 21st, 2024, in the 32nd matchday of La Liga. In a nail-biting encounter, Real Madrid emerged victorious with a score line of 3-2.
Match Highlights:
The match was filled with a rollercoaster of emotions with the first blood being taken by a corner scored by midfielder Christensen. Minutes later Lucas V was dribbling his way into the penalty area of Barcelona and won Madrid a penalty which was netted by none other than star boy Vinicius Juníor.
The second half was met by intense resilience from both ends and eventually Barcelona manged to get their second goal. It was not long till the pressure from the home team, Madrid was granted their second goal this time by Lucas Vazquez who was assisted by Vinicius Junior. After the second Madrid were pressing and knew that just one more goal will see them have the bragging rights, it was then when youngster Jude Bellingham booted the ball in the net and secured the thrilling win for the Madristas.
Statistics
- Real Madrid: Shots 14, shots on target 8, possession 46%, passes 476, pas accuracy 87% , fouls 11 , yellow cards 3 , red cards 0, offsides 0, corners 2
- Barcelona: Shots 15, shots on target 6 , possession 54% , passes 528 , pass accuracy 90% , fouls 12 , yellow cards 2 , red cards 0, offsides 2 , corners 8.
Player Ratings:
Real Madrid:
- A. Lunin (7/10): Made some crucial saves to keep Barcelona at bay.
- L. Vazquez (7/10): Solid defensively but struggled to contain Lamine Yamal at times. Also scored the equaliser.
- Rudiger (8/10): Impeccable performance at the heart of the defence.
- E. Camavinga (7.5/10): Composed and reliable on the left side of the defence.
- F. Valverde (7/10): Effective in breaking up play and protecting the backline.
- Luka Modrić (8/10): Dictated the tempo of the game with his passing and vision.
- Toni Kroos (7/10): Controlled the midfield alongside Modrić but missed a few key chances.
- J. Bellingham (8.5/10): A constant threat with his pace and dribbling, scoring a crucial goal.
- V. Junior (8/10): Led the line superbly, creating chances and scoring the opening goal.
- Rodrygo (8/10): Came off the bench to score the winning goal and make a significant impact.
- Brahim Diaz (6/10): Had a quiet game but provided some width on the right flank.
Barcelona:
- Marc-André ter Stegen (7/10): Made some excellent saves but couldn’t prevent all three goals.
- R. Araujo (7/10): Strong defensively but struggled with Vinicius Jr.’s pace at times.
- P. Cubarsi (6.5/10): Decent performance but could have done better with the second goal.
- J. Kounde (7/10): Energetic down the left flank but lacked support in attack.
- J. Cancelo (6.5/10): Experienced presence in midfield but struggled to control the tempo.
- F. de Jong (7/10): Showed good work ethic but couldn’t provide the cutting edge in attack.
- I. Gindogan (6.5/10): Worked hard but lacked composure in key moments.
- A. Christensen (7.5/10): Barcelona’s best player on the night, scoring a goal and creating several chances.
- Raphina (7/10): Caused problems for Real Madrid’s defence with his movement and dribbling.
- R. Lewandowski (7.5/10): Scored a vital goal but was well marshalled by the Real Madrid defence.
- Pedri (6/10): Introduced as a substitute but couldn’t make a significant impact.
The thrilling El Classico encounter further displayed why Real Madrid are the likely favourites to win the 2023/2024 La Liga title. With a handful of games left both Barcelona and Real Madrid will be looking to play their best football and fight for the title.
What’s Next:
Real Madrid takes on 6th place Real Sociedad on Friday 26 April 2024 at 21:00 CAT. Barcelona has a full week to recap and fight again for the La Liga title on Monday 29 April 21:00 against Valencia.
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